Infiltration
by Hanna Sedai
Summary: Class is in session.
1. Chapter 1: Orientation

**A/N: Hello, All!**

 **I know I'm a big fat liar when I said that I wouldn't write long fic again, but I was writing this one for fun on and off for a few months now. It'll be fun, and since I'm been writing this for a while I hope to update this once a week (Friday). This will be different from my other fics (hopefully), and I hope that this will be more humorous than usual (though worry not, angst lovers!). Hope you enjoy it!**

 **PS I'm aware that I have broken links on my profile page. Thank you to everyone who notified me. I haven't been able to fix it yet, but this weekend I'll move the artwork credits to a tumblr page so there is a place to see them.**

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Chapter 1: Orientation

"What the heck—"

"Hey, did you see who it is?"

"So the rumors are true. Thought Billy was just spreading stupid rumors again."

Ignoring the other students as best as he could, Robin busied himself with studying the hallways, doing his best not to turn around and punch one student, whose multiple clones sniggered all at once.

High school was something Robin could handle. It didn't matter if it was Gotham Academy or the HIVE Academy, though as he walked through the crowded hallways he doubted himself. The hive-shaped hallway opened up to a large auditorium. Purple banners emblazoned with the HIVE Academy's logo adorned the walls, and out of the corner of his eye Robin saw purple-robed staff gliding along the aisles, watching the students silently. Some students shoved him forward, and he continued walking down the aisle.

He ignored their glances and whispers. A young woman, who looked like the Headmistress' administrative assistant, handed out pieces of papers that Robin discreetly discarded. Heads followed him as he made his way to his seat, and no one bothered to sit next to him. The young woman made her way to the podium on the stage, opened her folder, and spoke into the microphone.

"Quiet."

A hush fell over the student body.

"Welcome to freshman orientation," the assistant said. "For the Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination: a place for extraordinary young people."

Robin leaned forward slightly in his chair, his arms folded across his chest.

"Before we begin we will take roll call," the assistant said. "Please answer when your name is called."

Names washed over him. He sat there and let his mind wander. Infiltrating the HIVE Academy was always something he had planned to do as a Titan, and while he arrived here grumbling, he had to admit that this was a better way that sneaking in through the air ducts. By working for Slade he had a connection to the criminal underground, which gave him a legitimate reason to be here. But yeah, this whole thing baffled him as much as it baffled the other students.

"Robin!"

He looked up. They had called his name three times. He looked up, blinking in the bright auditorium lights, at the frowning assistant. He stood up slowly. "Calm down. You know I'm here. Everyone does."

"Rudeness isn't tolerated at the HIVE!" The assistant snapped. "Answer when spoken to. Failure to follow our rules will result in strict discipline."

"Duly noted." Even though he spoke calmly, he felt incredibly nervous. It didn't matter what he said, or how he said it, because this was enemy territory. Even if he followed their rules someone, somewhere, was going to take out their anger on him. There was nothing that could be done about it, not when the entire school knew that he was Robin.

"Apologize."

"Not at the moment, Marianne."

Heads turned as the Headmistress walked onto the stage, her heels clicking on the mahogany floor. Anyone looking at her could see that she was a professional. If Robin didn't know that she was the Headmistress, he could have easily believed that she was a business executive, not a high school principal. At a glance he couldn't tell if she had any powers, and he wondered how exactly she came to be Headmistress.

She approached the podium and stared right at him. "Normally I don't attend freshmen orientation, but we have a new student who requires our direct attention." She gestured for him to stand up. He did so grudgingly, his seat squeaking in the silent room. "Stand up here."

He should have expected this. Of course they were going to talk him down. Of course.

Robin made his way up to the stage, being careful not to look at anyone as he walked up. Marianne, the assistant, hushed the students as whispers broke out between them. The Headmistress made him stand next to the podium before she spoke.

"As I'm certain all of you have noticed, we have a Teen Titan in our midst. He comes to us as a student, here to learn what it takes to become a true villain, and mentored by one of the HIVE's best clients. That is what he says, and what he is supposed to say. However, I see that he is not dedicated to the cause, and I have no reason to believe so, not under his unique circumstances. Robin, if your former mentor has taught you well, then I know what to expect from you. You are analyzing me, analyzing my institution, looking for any cracks in the system that will allow you to bring us down. You speak with bravado, you insult my assistant, but I understand you very, very well. There is no need to apologize, because rest assured: every insult, every insubordinate action you take will be met with immediate repercussion. There will be no time to apologize, and I suggest that you take that into account when you interact with my staff and my students."

She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close, out of earshot of the microphone and the other students. "I don't even need to speak with Slade to know that you have no power. I could rip off your mask right here, right now, and show them all who you are. I could show them just how bad that black eye is. I could show them how vulnerable you are, but I won't. Not unless you force me to." Well, Robin could see why Slade thought of the Headmistress as a valuable associate. She shoved him away. "Understand?"

Robin straightened, suddenly feeling immensely tired and aware of everyone staring at him. "Yes, Ma'am. I understand."

"Good. Sit back down."

The back of his neck burned red as he walked back to his seat. Several kids stuck out their legs to trip him. He listened quietly to the rest of the orientation and looked straight at the black stage curtains the entire time. He knew that they would single him out, insult him, probably even beat the crap out of him on day one, but he didn't expect to feel so belittled by the Headmistress. He didn't expect her speech to rattle him as much as it did, though, he reasoned, that was probably why she was the Headmistress. If she didn't have any powers then she ruled by sheer will alone. Admirable, but scary.

As the new freshman class filed out of the auditorium, class schedules in hand, Robin stayed behind, not wanting to walk out with everyone else. He had been in several odd situations before, and this felt more than odd. High school was supposed to be normal, fun even, and Slade suddenly throwing Robin here seemed like the exact opposite of what Slade would do. He thought Slade would take the time to teach his new apprentice, which happened for a month until he announced last weekend that Robin would be attending the HIVE Academy. And like everything Slade did, there was a reason for Robin's enrollment.

"Robin." Robin looked up at the sound of his name. He had a feeling he would be hearing it a lot over the next few days. An older villain he hadn't met before blocked his way to the exit. He extended his hand. "So nice to meet you in person."

Remembering the Headmistress' words, Robin accepted the handshake.

"My name is Brother Blood. I'm the Vice-Principal of the HIVE Academy, and I'll be teaching one of your classes."

"Yes, Sir." Robin didn't know what else to say.

"With a background such as yours I'll be sure to watch you closely. You have the makings of a great villain in you."

"Yes, Sir."

"We'll talk again soon. I believe we have a class tomorrow afternoon, last period. Unlike some here, I look to make profitable alliances. Others may see you as a threat, but I see you as an opportunity, a challenge. If you would like to survive your first year here, then I suggest that you do the same."

"Yes, Sir."

Brother Blood waved a hand. "Don't treat me like you do her. We're different, and she's afraid of you."

"Doesn't seem that way to me."

"Learning how to read people is a skill you have yet to learn, and that's what you'll be learning to do with me. There's a lot you still have to learn, but I won't help unless you want it. I look forward to working with you. Talk to me when you're done sulking."

Brother Blood walked away, leaving Robin alone with his thoughts. He watched Brother Blood leave the room, put away his schedule neatly away in his bag, and walked back towards the main office. He was already late for the school tour with the other students, but he didn't care. Class didn't begin until tomorrow. Best to brace himself before then.


	2. Chapter 2: Initiation

**A/N: Happy Friday! Enjoy chapter 2, and please review!**

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Chapter Two: Initiation

"You met Brother Blood?" Slade asked.

"Yes, he's the Vice-Principal."

"Interesting. Last time I was there he hadn't been promoted."

After getting back from school Robin found himself back at Slade's Haunt, though he had an entire afternoon to think about orientation before Slade bothered to show up. Because Slade didn't come back until late Robin wasn't certain if he would even see Slade before he went to bed. But, as always, Slade somehow found the time to talk to him. They sat in the kitchen table, talking casually about the day's events as if Bruce was asking him about his day at Gotham Academy. Thankfully, there had been no extra lessons for the day, as Slade had business outside the Haunt and was preoccupied by other things. Not that Robin would have been able to concentrate on anything else except for the day's events.

Slade seemed, in Robin's mind, far more interested in high school drama than he would have expected Slade to be. Weird.

"He's still teaching classes," Robin said.

"I see." Slade sounded pensive, far more pensive than Robin had ever heard him before. "And you're registered for one of his classes?"

"Yes, according to my schedule."

"Let me see it." Slade held out his hand, and Robin handed the schedule to him. "I see. Interesting choice. Did he say anything to you?"

"Yes, he said he was looking forward to having me in his class."

"I see. Keep a close eye on him."

What could Robin discover at the HIVE Academy that Slade couldn't find out on his own? This was more than just a training session: there was something that Slade wanted from someone there, and once Robin stole whatever it was they would go on with their lives.

"What did you do, Slade, murder someone over there?"

Slade's eye glinted dangerously. "Do you remember what we talked about last weekend? Why I enrolled you in the HIVE Academy?"

"To keep a close watch on the faculty."

"Correct. And now that you're starting classes this week, let's go over what I want you to focus on: note if any of the staff are particularly hostile to you. Right now they don't trust you, so just observe their behavior. Once we have an idea of how they react to you, then we'll be able to figure which ones you'll be able to approach for information. Tell me about your homework assignments, their curriculum, everything. I expect detailed weekly reports."

Slade set the schedule down on the table and made no motion for Robin to take it back. Perhaps because Robin felt exhausted from the day's events, he found Slade's words irritating. After all, it had taken Slade an entire month to decide that he didn't want to teach Robin full-time anymore. Seemed like a half-assed decision, as if Robin wasn't even worth his time. Robin shook his head, trying to shake those thoughts away.

Slade looked at him again. "I heard the Headmistress spoke to you privately during orientation. What did she say?"

"Behave."

Robin was certain that Slade was smirking under his mask. "And did you?"

Memories of how she had introduced him to the student body ran through his mind. "I'm sure you would have known by now if I hadn't."

"Fair enough. I expect you to behave—to a certain extent. I know you won't, not when you're surrounded by your idiot classmates. Your classmates should not be a problem. But if—and only if—they decide to harass you, I expect you to fight back, even if the Headmistress says no."

"And if I don't?"

"I'm sure you will defend yourself. It's in your nature, and the rules at the HIVE are different from any high school you've attended. You may be surprised at what they allow you to do."

Robin turned over his pencil, unsure what to say.

"But as I said before," Slade continued, "I still expect you to keep up with your studies here while you attend the HIVE Academy. And no, it is still not open for negotiation."

Robin set the pencil down. Even with just orientation today he felt exhausted. If he felt tired now, then how would he be able to handle a full workload from the Academy _and_ deal with things here?

"I've notified the staff to let me know if your grades slip."

"What, are you saying that if I fail then you'll kill my friends?"

"Let's not jump to such extremes." Slade leaned forward. "But shouldn't it be sufficient to know that, if your grades slip, I will be very, very disappointed?"

The black eye he had been sporting since yesterday afternoon suddenly felt more prominent on his face. How had the Headmistress known about that, when he had been wearing a mask the entire time?

"Do you understand?" Slade asked.

"Yes, Sir."

Slade stood up, turning to leave the room. "I understand that this wasn't in our original contract, and that you fully expected to be trained by me, but even so I believe you will learn something. Embrace the opportunity, Dick."

"The Headmistress threatened to expose my secret identity to the student body."

"Did she, now?" How could Slade not be concerned? "I guess I'm due for another chat with her."

"Like you care about protecting me."

He regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. Slade turned back around to face him and spoke in a calm, oddly soothing voice. "Let's not talk about that tonight. If it wasn't for my generosity, Dick, then your friends would already be dead. If I hadn't intervened in your dismal situation, then the HIVE would have figured out your secret identity a long time ago. If the students and faculty retaliate against you, then whose fault is it? I certainly didn't antagonize them. They are my business associates, and to them you're nothing more than a young punk who thinks he's better than everyone else." Robin sat still and looked at the wooden table, not wanting to look at Slade. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Get some sleep. I won't see you until late tomorrow evening, but I'll leave a list of tasks with Wintergreen. I expect those to be done before nine."

"Yes, Sir."

Slade left the room, signaling the end of the conversation. Robin got up from the kitchen table, not even bothering to wish Slade good night. The butthole didn't even deserve it.

* * *

Robin returned to school early the next morning, surprised to realize just how close the Academy was to Jump City. The commute wasn't too bad. Robin didn't know why he didn't just board at the school, but then again he had to report to Slade. Infiltrating the students didn't seem as important as watching the staff.

He glanced at his schedule. His first class of the day was History of Crime. Should've expected that from a supervillain's high school. Other commuters gathered on the stairs leading up to the main entrance hall, all of them glancing at him before ascending the stairs.

Just as he did the day before, he went through a security checkpoint and surrendered his utility belt. Nothing except HIVE-approved weaponry was allowed during school hours, though he wasn't sure if that rule was created just for him.

The hallways all looked the same, all the same hive shape. Man, the HIVE Academy really took their theme seriously. Their purple-robed faculty should be dressed like bees. That'd be a riot. What did they even do? Keep the peace?

Something hit the back of his head. "Hey scrudmuffin!"

Robin spun around and saw the familiar HIVE trio standing behind him. Gizmo stood in front, holding a chalkboard eraser in his hand. "Just because you're with Slade doesn't mean we'll give you a break."

Gizmo threw an eraser at him. Robin knocked it to the side. "What do you want?"

"First day of class, snot monkey," Gizmo said. "Freshman initiation."

"Class starts in ten minutes. Get out of my way."

A wave of pink power tripped him as he turned to leave. His bag skidded across the floor. Jinx stood over him, her eyes glowing pink. "Doesn't matter. Not like you want to go, anyway. Come on, boys."

Students crowded around him, several of them teleporting right next to him. Before he could get up Mammoth grabbed him, keeping his arms trapped against his side. He lifted Robin in the air, and Robin felt the other students grab his legs so he couldn't move. Panic flooded through him as he struggled to free himself. With so many students around him, chanting something he couldn't hear, he didn't know what to do.

"Hey—"

What should he do? He didn't have weapons on him to use against them. Having no superpowers, Robin couldn't defend himself against an entire horde of superpowered villains, even if they were students.

They carried him through the hallways. Students and teachers alike poked their heads out of the classroom doors as they passed by, though no one stopped them.

He didn't even see them doing to this to the other freshmen. Had they already done it, or were they doing this just for him? He twisted around and elbowed Mammoth in the face. Surprised, Mammoth let him go, his nose red and swollen. He side-stepped as Mammoth swung a fist at him just as Gizmo came flying up to meet him.

The punch sent Gizmo spinning backwards, allowing Robin time to grab his backpack and pull it off him and toss it to the side. Robin backed away warily, mindful of the other students watching. No longer amused, Jinx began throwing waves of power at him. He stayed back, flowing with the energy, waiting for the most opportune moment.

He saw Mammoth charging towards them, opening his mouth in an angry roar. Gizmo scurried around Robin's legs. He picked the kid up and threw him towards Mammoth.

Everything happened all at once. As Gizmo screeched in his flight to Mammoth, Jinx threw up her hands, causing her powers to creep up the hallway wall. Students scattered as plaster crumbled and fell onto them. The floor heaved beneath them, causing all three of them to collapse upon themselves.

Robin stood still, staring at the wreckage until he realized that the bell rang five minutes ago. He moved away quickly, the other students backing away as he ran the other way.

" _Get back here!"_ Jinx shouted.

 _Crap,_ Robin though. _Can't even get through one day without getting into a fight._

Robin ran into someone. He stumbled backwards, rubbing his nose, and looked up at the other student. This new student was tall and bulky, a silver diadem resting on his forehead. He looked down at Robin, his arms folded over his chest and his expression stony.

"Get out of my way!" Robin snapped.

"We're late for class," the student said. "The professor is waiting."

"Who're you?" Robin demanded.

"Stone."

Stone pulled him to his feet as the other students rounded the corner. They slowed as they saw Stone.

"Who're you, turd?" Gizmo shouted, flying up to Stone's face. "You didn't go to freshman orientation."

"So what? You have a problem with that?"

"You know who this is?" Mammoth asked, jabbing a finger at Robin.

"Yeah, I know who that is," Stone replied. "And he's late for class."

"Not before we initiate him."

"And you think Professor Hyacinth's gonna appreciate us being late the first day?"

"What do you know about Hyacinth, freshman? And who's gonna stop us? You?"

They laughed.

Stone slammed his fists together, and his skin transitioned smoothly from brown to a cold, gray stone. He didn't smile at Robin, but he didn't scowl either. The smiles died from Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth's faces. They backed away warily.

"We'll get the scumbucket later," Gizmo muttered.

Muttering amongst themselves, the HIVE kids left.

Stone grabbed Robin by the collar. "We'll be going now."

As soon as they rounded the corner Robin wrestled himself out of Stone's grip. "I don't need your help."

"A thank you would be nice," Stone said. "They were going to haze you." He held up a bag. "This yours?"

"Don't think they had a prank in mind." Robin felt his heart pumping in his throat. He really didn't know what they had planned on doing to him, and he didn't want to know. Hopefully Slade wouldn't find out about this. He snatched his bag away from Stone. "I have to go."

"You heading towards History of Crime with Professor Hyacinth?"

"Uh, yeah, actually I am."

"We're almost there." Stone jerked his head towards the other end of the hallway. "Let's go."

Robin looked up at Stone as they walked together. Although he didn't know everyone at this school yet, he was pretty sure that he would have recognized Stone at orientation. "Why weren't you at orientation yesterday?"

"I was going to go, but I ended up getting here this morning."

Robin gritted his teeth, but said nothing. No point attacking the kid who saved his butt. He pushed the classroom door open.

The teacher, a middle-aged woman dressed in a neat black pencil skirt and a blazer embroidered with the HIVE logo, looked at them as they walked in. She snorted angrily, flames escaping from her nostrils.

"So glad you could join us," Professor Hyacinth said. "Please, take a seat."


	3. Chapter 3: Role Models

**A/N: Hello! It's Friday morning, which means an update! Enjoy the chapter, and leave a review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Role Models**

It was, Robin hated to admit, refreshing to get out of the Haunt, though he wasn't sure how long that feeling would last.

 _Does Slade really expect me to stay here for four years?_ Robin thought, resisting the urge to tap his pencil against his chemistry notebook. Would it take that long for him to gather intel on the faculty and students? Or would he leave after two weeks?

The school day was almost over, though Robin found it almost as exhausting as the welcome orientation. Everyone seemed extra sensitive to his words and movements, as though they expected him to explode at any moment. And, in fact, most waited with gleeful anticipation.

As the teacher turned back to the whiteboard something hit the back of his head. Robin turned around in his seat and saw several students snickering. A ball of wadded up paper fell from Robin's shoulder. He caught it before it the floor and smoothed it out.

 _It's only just begun, Bird-Boy._

An unflattering drawing of him being mobbed by the HIVE students stared back at him. Laughter erupted in the back of the room.

No matter what, this place was still a high school. Even if the kids had superpowers, they were still kids. Even considering the failed hazing from the other day, he wasn't afraid of them. The faculty kept them under a reasonable amount of control, given the circumstances. And given his assignment, Robin knew that he had more reason to be afraid of the faculty than the students. He threw away the paper and resumed taking notes.

Aside from being attacked on day one, no one had tried to ambush him since. If the upperclassmen were concocting attack pattern beta-ambush-Robin, then they had yet to enact it. Bored of the class, he turned to his schedule and examined it again.

His weekly schedule was, undoubtedly, one of the most bizarre things ever inflicted upon him:

 _Period 1: A History of Crime from 1912-Present_

More like a contemporary history of _dunces._ An entire semester is devoted to the Gotham Rogue Gallery. Totally gonna ace this one. Taught by Professor Hyacinth.

 _Period 2: Gym_

Everyone's excuse to beat each other up and get school credit. Taught by some grump with brick for brains.

 _Period 3: Dangerous Creatures: Building Your Minion Army_

Everything you need to know about how to get thousands of demonic creatures to become your mindless minions. Also, Killer Moth's maggots are disgustingly cute. Seems like a class Star would enjoy.

 _Period 4: The Sting: Confidence Tricks and You_

Whoever can count cards the fastest wins. Encourages plagues of pyramid schemes in the school's not-so-secret black market.

 _Period 5: Chemistry_

Aka set your experiment on fire. And maybe your classmate's hair if you're feeling up to it. Heck, just set the classroom on fire. A++

 _Period 6: Criminal Psychology_

Only selected students are allowed to take this class. Master your manipulation techniques, perfect your evil laugh, build your ideal heist team, and learn how to utilize your strengths for world domination. Taught by Brother Blood, with special guest lectures by the HIVE Headmistress. Take this one seriously.

If everything hadn't been so serious, he would've spent half his day laughing at how ridiculous the courses were. And yet, the HIVE graduates were dangerous. While Slade undoubtedly thought this school's curriculum was a farce, there must be a few classes worth attending. Or maybe this was just another way Slade was messing with him.

In any case, none of the classes were his favorite, and if he did his job right he wouldn't have a long time to enjoy them anyway.

* * *

Once classes ended for the day, Robin stuffed his books in his bag and hurried out of the classroom, avoiding his classmates without a backwards glance. Some tried to trip him while others turned to their friends, whispering in low voices.

Someone stepped in front of him, blocking his way through the double doors. He looked up, mentally shaking himself.

There was Stone. Again. Didn't the guy have homework to do or something?

"Get out of my way," Robin snapped.

Stone didn't budge. "Why are you in a hurry?"

"School's out."

"I getcha. Excuse me." Stone bowed obnoxiously and stepped to the side. "Must be nice, working for Slade and all. Have a lot of perks, don't you?"

Great. Stone was one of _those_ people.

"If you think it's so nice then you go work for him," Robin said.

"Intimidating villain. Gotta admire him, man."

"Yeah, I know. Probably more than anyone here." Robin tried to push his way past Stone. The guy pushed him backwards. Infuriated, Robin shoved him unsuccessfully backwards. "Get out of my way!"

Robin peered up at Stone. There was something familiar about his face, but he couldn't quite put it into words. The guy didn't budge.

"The guy's a genius. Must be if he managed to get a Teen Titan on his good side. And hey, I'd love an introduction."

"Trust me, you don't want one." Robin snorted. "And I'm not exactly on his good side, so you're out of luck, pal."

"Hey, don't get me wrong: I'd like us to be friends."

"Screw you, loser."

Stone grimaced. "Fine. Jerk."

Robin made his way towards the exit, slamming the doors forcefully behind him, though not before he heard Stone's last jeer. "Yeah, you better run."

* * *

Robin fell asleep on top of his covers, his arms tucked awkwardly underneath his chin, so tired that he fell asleep instantly as soon as he got back from the Academy.

"I heard you almost let the other students prank you."

Robin's eyes snapped open. Crap, he hadn't finished his report for his History of Criminal Studies class, and here he was snoozing. It had only been two days and he felt exhausted, much too exhausted to snap back at Slade.

He sat up groggily. "It was just a hazing. Stupid kid stuff."

"I see." Slade walked over to Robin's desk and picked up one of his books. _"Pyramid Schemes and You: A Beginner's Guide."_ He snorted derisively and tossed it unceremoniously back onto the desk. "I had my doubts about enrolling you in the HIVE," Slade said. "Its graduates have failed me before. But it seems to be keeping you out of trouble, and it gives me time to focus on my own work."

"What, are you too busy to pay attention to your apprentice?"

"Don't be rude. We were just starting to have a pleasant conversation."

"Whatever."

"I expect the truth from you, Robin. No lying to me, not like you did during that Red X business."

"You can't guarantee the truth from me."

"Not yet. Do you enjoy the Academy?"

"I don't enjoy anything to do with you."

"At least you're honest. I appreciate that." Slade snickered. "But you have yet to learn when to keep your mouth shut. I may be out and about on my own business, but I'll be keeping a close watch on how you portray yourself. I expect you to protect my reputation, even if you don't like it."

"You know what you need to do, Slade? You should write an apprentice handbook. Write out my rights and vacation days and all that crap. I could really use one." Robin suppressed a yawn. "Or at least be consistent with the stupid schedule."

"Shut up." Slade spoke casually, almost pleasantly. "I want you to keep a close watch over Brother Blood. Accept any extra assignments he may offer you. If you can get on the Headmistress's good terms, then do it. Once I get a general idea of their behavior I'll be more specific about what I want you to look for, but first you have to gain their trust. It will be difficult, given your background, but it can be done."

Man, the teachers just handed out the syllabus yesterday! Building relationships with teachers didn't happen in a day, no matter what delusion Slade believed. But arguing would be useless.

"Yes, Sir."

"I don't intend your enrollment to last longer than it should," Slade said. "I have a few contracts I need to fulfill, and I'd rather you focus on other things than counting cards."

"Yes, Sir."

What was Slade planning to do? Ever since he started working with Slade, Robin thought that at least he would learn more about Slade's plans. What if Slade had kidnapped him for the purpose of planting an agent in the HIVE Academy? He needed someone to spy on his so-called "professional connections," but why him? Why not someone else? Could he not do anything without an actual student there?

"And do your homework, even if the curriculum is crap." Slade left the room, leaving Robin alone to wonder.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Beast Boy demanded. "Partying it up in the dorms?"

Cyborg strode into the common room late that night. Dorm rules were pretty strict at the HIVE, and he did have some homework to finish before sneaking out.

"Doesn't matter," Cyborg said, dismantling the illusion. "Let's just say we have a new problem: I saw Robin at the HIVE."

The Titans sprang to their feet, their alarmed voices overlapping.

"What is he doing there?" Starfire demanded.

"Oh my gosh at the HIVE no freaking way—"

"Look, guys, I don't know what he's doing there, but he's there." Cyborg held up his hands. "And for now, at least we know where he is."

"I am worried for him," Starfire said. "He is surrounded by the enemy."

"I stopped the other students from hazing him," Cyborg said. "I'm not sure if they intended to hurt him or not, but I couldn't just leave him there."

"Does he recognize you?" Raven asked.

"No, I don't think he does."

Why should Robin recognize him? The kid had a lot on his mind, and Cyborg had to act like a jerk to keep up with the disguise. Besides, he had never known Cyborg as Victor Stone, so he wouldn't have recognized Cyborg even if he had been looking for an ally at the Academy.

"Why did it take you so long to tell us?" Starfire demanded. "You could have told us immediately!"

"I needed to talk to him," Cyborg replied. "I wanted to find out more about his situation if I could. I didn't want to make a bad decision."

"Are you gonna tell him?" Beast Boy asked.

"Now isn't the right time," Cyborg replied. "I don't know why he's there or where Slade is, but he's obviously there on Slade's orders. Letting him know who I am might put him in more danger. Until I know more about what's up, then I'm not going to say anything."

"Or maybe Robin chose not to recognize you," Raven said. "If that is the case then he may be in more danger than we realize."

Cyborg didn't even go into the HIVE Academy to look for Robin. He went in to learn more about the faculty and its students, who were obviously connected to Slade, to find out if there was a lead to finding Robin. Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo were the only lead he had, so it made sense to look into the HIVE Academy.

Sitting down at the round kitchen table, Cyborg sighed and gestured for the others to join him. "Look, we have to figure out why he's there. It may give us some insight into Slade's plan."

No one said what was on everyone's minds: what if Robin simply didn't care because he had switched sides for real? But the way the other students were treating him made Cyborg believe that Robin hadn't truly switched sides.

The Titans crowded around him, all listening closely to his tale.

* * *

Cyborg saw Robin throughout the day, always alone and avoiding any attempt at conversation. He spent his breaks in the library, where he seemed to be working on homework on the school computers. As his eyes wandered over the room he noticed three familiar faces watching Robin, whispering among themselves as they discussed how best to ambush the kid.

There they were again: Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth. Cyborg walked up behind them, crossed his arms over his chest, and huffed.

"What, planning a prank and you didn't invite me?"

"Go stuff your head in a toilet, stonehead," Gizmo said.

"I wouldn't bother him if I were you."

"Why the klutz did you talk to him?" Gizmo demanded, pointing at Robin's back. "He's one of the enemy?"

"Then why is he here?"

"What are you talking about? He has to pay for what he did to us!"

Thinking briefly of how they had beaten Robin, and how Robin turned around and organized the Titans against Attack Pattern Alpha, flitted through Cyborg's mind.

"What, did he outmaneuver you?"

Gizmo frowned. "It's not gonna happen again, that's for sure."

"Look, I'm thinking of this in a different way," Cyborg said. "Not as a hero, but as Slade's apprentice. I mean, Slade doesn't just choose _anyone_ to be his successor. I assume that Robin really did switch sides, and if he's being trained by Slade then I sure don't want to be on his bad side when he becomes Deathstroke. I'm sure he won't forget the kids who bullied him freshman year."

They glanced at Robin's back nervously, as though they had never realized this. Cyborg shrugged, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. "I mean, if I need references after graduation Slade would be the man."

As much as the others believed his words, Cyborg hoped that he wasn't right. It seemed like Robin didn't want to be at the HIVE, but at this point he hadn't figured out if Robin _had_ switched sides. Until he figured out why Robin was here, then Cyborg wouldn't reveal his disguise to Robin.

Cyborg looked over at Robin one last time. It wouldn't do to follow him too closely. He couldn't raise suspicions. At least Robin had a legitimate reason to be here. Brother Blood already knew that "Stone" had sneaked into the school, and he was probably being watched just as closely as Robin was. Best to take things slow. Robin sat at the desk, typing away furiously.

What the heck was he working on?

* * *

"Robin!" Professor Hyacinth stared right at him. "Stand up."

He knew exactly what this was about. Robin stood up, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. She shoved his paper into his hand. "Read it."

Sighing, he looked down at his paper, which he had uploaded to Hyacinth's virtual classroom yesterday afternoon.

 _Robin (aka disgruntled apprentice)_

 _For the Teacher who spits fireballs_

 _Period 1: A History of Crime from 1912-Present_

 _Day 42 of my Incarceration (or so I think)  
_

 _Criminal Role Model: Deathstroke the Terminator_

 _To address the stupidity of this essay prompt, I shall write a reflective essay on a criminal role model, chosen from the years between 1980 to the present. It is natural, of course, to choose my own mentor: the amazing Deathstroke the Terminator. To address the prompt this essay shall explore three reasons why he is the most amazing criminal mastermind in the whole universe._

 _First, he bluffed his way through a Cronoton Detonator. Convincing everyone that he had a Chronoton Detonator is a feat unto itself. Stopping time? Such a dastardly plan! He will be feared by all until the end of time._

 _Secondly, he builds the most sophisticated robots called Sladebots. These cybernetic wonders follow me around all day, silently judging as they herd me from room to room. He builds them en masse, and although he does not yet trust me with them, I can't help but admire just how well they're built. With time, I'm certain that such a creator of such futuristic robot technology will be able to effectively run his own villainous Facebook fan page. Or he'll be able to finally work his smartphone. Whichever comes first._

 _Thirdly, (and I'm sure you were reading this paper for this final point) he managed to entrap me, the Boy Wonder. I'm so excited that I get the chance to really help him. He trusts me enough to run all of his social media (I mean, I have this opportunity for him to get more clients and after all, the Internet is the future). One time, he asked me what GTFO means. It was great._

 _And there you have it: In conclusion, Deathstroke the Terminator is the greatest criminal mastermind of the 21_ _st_ _century, and will continue to be so for years to come._

As he read it he couldn't look at anyone but stared at the paper. When he looked up, no one laughed. People stared, afraid, stupefied by his words. For once they weren't laughing at him.

"Where did you write this?" the teacher asked in a deadly voice.

"I wrote it and uploaded it on a school computer yesterday," Robin replied.

"And why did you think it necessary to write this?"

"Well, this is high school, not fifth grade. I'm not exactly thrilled about this essay prompt."

She looked as if she _would_ spit fireballs at him. Steam curled from her ears as her face flushed red. They stood quite still, glaring at one another, until she finally took the paper away from him.

In truth he had forgotten that he had turned in _this draft,_ but it didn't matter now. In fact, he rather enjoyed watching her refrain from spitting fire at him.

The paper burst into fire. She held it until it crumbled into ash.

"Sit down," she said softly, dangerously.

"What are you afraid of?" Robin asked.

Her nostrils flared. "Sit down, or I will send you home with that mask of yours burnt off your face."

Robin sat down. She sat down at her computer, typed furiously, and then got up again to continue the lesson.

Though the essay had been destroyed, both in physical form and on the school computers, copies already made its rounds throughout the school by noon. Naturally. Teachers patrolling the corridors snatched copies from anyone they caught with it, and shot him dirty looks as they passed by.

"Hey sludge-face!"

Gizmo, without his friends behind him, flew up to him.

"You've got guts," Gizmo said. "You know why she destroyed it, don't you?"

"Disappointment?"

"Crap on a cracker, it was because she didn't want _Slade_ to find out, stupid!"

Now Robin wished he had never written the paper at all. But even if he had written it with some semblance of motivation, he wouldn't have been able to write it. Any true paper would have been his personal manifesto, an announcement of why he hated villains. And yet, by destroying the paper and humiliating him in front of his classmates Ms. Hyacinth had ensured that every student would do their best to get their hands on a copy.

"Since when I have cared about what anyone here thinks?" Robin asked, eyes narrowing.

"Oh, you do." Gizmo flittered close to his face. "Listen, crudmuffin, I still don't _like_ you, but…."

He saw someone over Robin's shoulder. Gizmo emitted a large raspberry before spiriting away, muttering curses under his breath. A brief memory flashed by Robin's eyes. The first time he had ever heard Slade's name was through Gizmo. They too, had worked for Slade, however briefly. What had happened after the HIVE kids failed to defeat the Titans? If he had terrorized them, or the HIVE had, then were they…grateful that Robin had spoken out against him?

"It hasn't even been one week and you're already causing trouble."

The Headmistress stood behind him, her arms behind her back as she surveyed him. Out of the corner of his eye Robin saw his classmates ducking out of the hallway, some peering behind closed doors.

"It was an honest mistake, Headmistress," Robin said. "I didn't mean to upload that draft."

His words bounced off her. Like any other teacher, the Headmistress had probably heard every excuse in the book.

"Though you don't deserve a warning, I'll give you one: do not attend to your other classes in such a flippant manner."

"Just telling the truth, Headmistress."

A dazzling pain rocked him as she hit him across the face. Seconds later he found himself sprawled across the floor, his cheek pressing into the cold hard tile and his head throbbing. The Headmistress was gone, replaced by students crowding curiously around him. He pushed himself to his feet

Students whispered behind their hands as he passed by, though he couldn't distinguish their tone. Some openly snickered. Anger burned into his chest as he looked around at his snickering classmates.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you," Robin said quietly. "Imagine what would happen if Slade found out."

Some of them stopped laughing while others laughed uneasily. They could laugh at him all they wanted, but they were _scared_ of Slade. He could act like his injuries hindered him—and though they did, he couldn't afford to appear hurt. He didn't want their pity. If he was going to survive here, then he would have to convince them that Slade was really on his side, and that everything he did was with the power of Deathstroke behind him.

* * *

"What happened to your face?" Slade demanded.

Robin mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Did you get into a fight?"

"You could say that." Robin shrugged. "We just beat each other up in gym."

"I don't believe you."

"What bothers you, Slade?" Robin asked. "Are you the only one who's allowed to hit me?"

Slade grabbed his hair, and for one wild moment Robin thought he would slam Robin's face into the table. "I know more than you think, boy. Remember that you're there to gather intelligence, not to goof off."

"I was just defending myself—"

"If you were defending yourself like I taught you, then you wouldn't have a bruise across your face." Slade let go of him. "Continue with your report."

He went on with his report, afraid to tell Slade that he hadn't gotten in a fight at all, and knowing all the while that Slade would eventually find out. He steered away the conversation, hoping that Slade wouldn't come back it.

"Slade," Robin said, after he finished his report, "why did you hire Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth?"

"My business is my own," Slade replied coolly. "Besides, there are more pressing questions we need answers to, such as why they graduated and came back to the HIVE."

"I…they graduated?"

Robin was under the impression that they were still students. They didn't look old enough to have graduated.

"Yes, the Headmistress introduced them to me as recent graduates. I wouldn't have been able to hire them otherwise."

Rubbing his bruised cheek absently, Robin wondered why those three acted like students when they weren't. Graduates would be out there in the real world causing trouble, so what were they doing at the HIVE? It wasn't as if there were a shortage of banks to rob or anything.

"They are clearly not in the Headmistresses' good graces if they have returned to the school," Slade said. "Could have begun when they failed to defeat the Titans."

"So?"

"Because, whether I like it or not, they are the next generation of villains." Slade's voice hardened. "Find out why they're still there. They aren't faculty, and they're not quite students. Their presence is unusual. See if they have any close relationships with any of the other staff."

"And what makes you think they'll trust me?" Robin asked dryly. "When I'm the reason they got punished in the first place?"

They glared at each other steadily, and, not for the first time that night, Robin wondered if Slade knew about the paper.

"There may come a time when you have to fight them," Slade said. "And not just in the classroom. Learn their strengths, their weaknesses, their motivations, anything you would need to know to defeat them. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"And don't worry about them not trusting you. I'm certain that they will in time, given your status by being associated with me." Slade paused, and for the umpteenth time Robin wished that he could see past Slade's mask. "After all, I am one of the greatest criminal masterminds of the 21st century."


	4. Chapter 4: Lessons

**A/N: Good morning! Enjoy this update, and review!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Lessons

Cyborg snagged an illegal copy of Robin's paper before the school managed to stamp it out, and also managed to record Robin reading it to the class. He took it back to the Titans, who crowded around him to listen to the recording. As the Titans listened to it Beast Boy laughed at all the right moments.

"Oh man!" Beast Boy exclaimed, nearly falling off the couch. "Wish I could've been there!"

"Wasn't so funny when I was there," Cyborg said. "I think it was an honest mistake, and he was just covering his butt."

But seriously, Robin got major kudos for that.

"This means that he hasn't turned yet," Raven said. "What happened afterwards?"

"Prof was pissed," Cyborg replied. "I think he got in trouble with the Headmistress, but I don't know."

He couldn't believe it when he heard the words from Robin's mouth. Half of Cyborg wanted to laugh, but mostly he was horrified. This was a cry for help, though what Robin expected from writing a sarcastic manifesto Cyborg didn't know. Tomorrow he would snoop around and see what happened to him. There was no way that either Slade or the Headmistress would let this slide.

Cyborg added it to the file of documents from the HIVE Academy, including his class schedule and surreptitious pictures he took during his breaks. Raven also helped him track Robin's weekly schedule and possible routes from Jump City to the HIVE. If anything was good about this, it was the fact that there was now a predictable weekly pattern for them to follow. Finding him was going to be a lot easier.

"Please, Cyborg," Starfire said, grasping his hand. "You will be friends with him, won't you?"

"What do you mean by that, Star?"

"If the bullies are attacking him, I would like to know that there is someone on his side. Please promise me that you will not be the jerk to him."

He looked at her. "I can't blow his cover, or mine. Not until I find the opportunity."

"We can remove him at once!" Star exclaimed. "Why are we not doing so?"

"If we play this right, then we can take out three major villains at once," Cyborg said, holding up three fingers. "Slade, the Headmistress, and Brother Blood."

"Why is Brother Blood separate from the Headmistress?" Raven asked.

"I've got a funny feeling about him," Cyborg said. "He's got some sort of class project going on, and I'm not sure the Headmistress knows about it. He's hinted that he'd like me to help him with it, but until I get a formal invitation then I can't do anything."

Blood had taken a certain liking to Stone, which Cyborg didn't like at all. It was hard enough trying to sneak around the HIVE, and he didn't need a teacher breathing down his neck. And after Robin's paper, it would be even harder to try to talk to Robin alone, and if Robin made friends at the Academy then everyone would immediately turn their attention to them.

Starfire sat there sulkily. If she had it her way then she would storm the Academy tonight. Eventually they would, once they planned an escape plan in conjunction with Robin.

"Star, I promise I'll let him know Stone is me," Cyborg said. "If I can, I'll pass along a message from you guys."

Hopefully Robin didn't get in too much trouble over the paper, though they faculty seemed pretty pissed. By now Slade probably knew about it. Yikes.

* * *

Slade did not elaborate on the paper.

Nerves shook Robin the next day, though he did his best to hide his anxiety from his classmates. Afraid to ask Slade outright if he knew about the paper, he spent his day in woeful agony, his thoughts drifting back to Slade's single comment about him being the greatest criminal mastermind of the 21st century. If Slade did know, which Robin was certain he did, he didn't bother punishing him for it. Or he could waiting for the right time to reveal that he _did_ know about it, and that terrified Robin.

With the first week now over, the teachers began piling on the homework load, which only increased Robin's anxiety. In any other circumstance he _would_ have turned in only sarcastic papers, but now Slade demanded to see his every graded assignment. It was a miracle that he didn't demand to see the drafts before Robin turned them in.

And, by far, the class that challenged him the most was Brother Blood's class. Unlike the other classes, Blood didn't screw around. He assigned homework the first day of class. He was _that_ kind of teacher.

"You seem distracted, Robin," Brother Blood said, handing Robin back his homework assignment.

Robin snapped to attention as soon as he saw his grade: _B-_

"A b minus?" he said, his voice oddly hollow.

"Yes, well, your essay is well-written, but it lacks…ah…certain qualities."

People laughed, but he didn't hear them. He wanted to stand up, but he stayed rooted to his seat. "Brother, I—"

"Is there a problem?" Brother Blood raised an eyebrow.

"This isn't…" Robin puffed up his chest. "I think I did fine."

Blood's eyes turned briefly red. "See me after class."

People kept snickering throughout the entire lesson, though Brother Blood didn't seem to mind, not even when one of the girls burst out laughing when Robin fumbled a question Brother Blood shot at him.

 _Pull yourself together,_ Robin thought angrily.

Whatever the lesson was, Robin didn't hear any of it. He sat in his seat, thinking of nasty things he would like to say, and trying to think of a way to approach Blood without losing his temper. Finally, after forever, the bell rang. Fuming, Robin gathered his things and stomped over to Brother Blood's desk. He shook the paper in Brother Blood's face.

"This is unacceptable."

Brother Blood's expression didn't change. "I was under the impression that I'm the one who's supposed to say that."

"I need to fix this."

"Don't lie to me, boy," Blood said. "You don't care what I think, and you don't care about this class at all. In fact, I'd be surprised if you were interested in this school at all."

Robin straightened.

"Perhaps this will teach you to take your work here more seriously. Unlike my colleagues, who are satisfied with your textbook answers—or an insulting paper— I'm looking for something more. Thankfully, your paper is nothing like the atrocity you turned in to Professor Hyacinth."

Robin didn't answer.

"Tell me, what did Slade think of it? I'm certain he enjoyed it."

"I don't know."

"Oh, come now. Even if no one told him about it, he surely knows. I'm sure someone of Slade's status wouldn't take too kindly to insults, even if it's from his apprentice."

"I don't know."

A wry smile passed Brother Blood's face. A wave of intense dislike washed over Robin. Blood reminded him of Slade more than anyone else here, including the Headmistress, but he was more annoying. Robin didn't think that Slade could be this _annoying._

"All right, I'll take your word for it. As for your paper, well…your essay is more than satisfactory, but," he glanced down at Robin's paper, "your bias is clear. I must admit, you're trying very hard to think like a villain, but your evident struggle has resulted in your final score."

For a moment Robin found himself speechless. He spent hours on this ridiculous assignment, and even had Wintergreen look over it because he had been too exhausted for revisions.

"Is there anything I can do to fix this?"

"No."

"This is unfair."

"Are you pouting like a child now?" Brother Blood walked over to his desk. "Imagine that: Robin, the Boy Wonder, still a pouting sidekick."

In that moment he didn't feel like Slade's apprentice. Never, in all of his life, had he felt so belittled by a teacher. Slade didn't feel so much like a teacher as a villain. And Robin didn't know what it was: maybe the classroom setting or his classmates, but at the HIVE Academy he felt that Brother Blood was more his teacher than Slade was. It was a weird feeling he couldn't quite put into words.

"Take a seat, Robin."

Nothing in Brother Blood's tone made Robin feel any better, but he did as he was told.

"You will take this back to Slade and you will show him your paper," Brother Blood said. "No, I will not change it." He examined his fingernails, as though he were already bored of the conversation. "You don't care about learning anything, you just care about what he thinks. What are you afraid of, Robin?"

"Why do you want to know?" Robin demanded.

A smirk spread across Brother Blood's face as he leaned towards his computer. "I suppose I'll drop the final score down a letter grade—"

"Don't."

Brother Blood paused. "We both know you're not anxious over your grade. And I'm certain that Slade doesn't actually care about how well you do in my class."

"If you know this then why—"

"To teach you a lesson," Brother Blood said smoothly. "I don't expect you to understand, but perhaps you will. To be frank, you're a little underwhelming, Robin. I expected just a little bit more from Batman's former protege."

"I'm not here to meet anyone's expectations. I don't care what you think of me."

"Well, you should. Your future depends on it. I look forward to hearing all about his reaction tomorrow afternoon." He handed Robin's essay back to him. "I'll know if you don't give it to him. Please send him my regards."

Hands shaking, Robin slipped the paper back into his binder and shoved it into his backpack. As ridiculous as the syllabus was, as much as he wanted to laugh at everything, this was no laughing matter. Slade might have let the other paper slide, for whatever his reason was, but this was going to be unpleasant. He shoved the classroom door open and walked into the hallway.

"Brother Blood giving you a hard time?"

Jinx leaned against the lockers on the opposite side of the wall. She straightened when Robin walked out of the room. Had she been waiting for him outside the classroom this whole time?

"What are you doing here?" Robin demanded.

"I'm his TA. I'll be grading quizzes with him this afternoon." Jinx smirked. "I heard the whole thing. So, seems like you do care about your grades."

"Shut up!"

"Oh, I see how it is. You know, having graduated and all, I could give you a few pointers."

His retort died on his lips, and he momentarily forget about his lousy grade. Out of all the things she could have said, this was the last thing he expected to hear from her.

"Why?"

"Gizmo told me all about what you did in _Criminal History,"_ she said. "About what you wrote for that Slade paper and all."

"So? The whole school heard."

"Did Slade find out?" Her eyes drifted over his face, lingering on the bruise the Headmistress had given him.

"No," Robin replied curtly.

"Humor isn't taken too lightly here," she said, examining her nails. "Criminal masterminds are feared, not mocked."

"And who said I didn't fear him?"

She rolled her eyes. "I changed my mind. I don't want to help you."

A sudden inspiration hit him. "Hey Jinx," Robin said. "You used to work for Slade, didn't you?"

"Not for very long."

He approached her. "I'm sure it was long enough to know how he works."

"Which is why you're an idiot."

"I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid enough not to fear him. Like you."

"And what makes you think I'm scared of him?"

"Because I am."

He didn't know why he admitted it to her, but he trusted his guts. Gizmo and Mammoth didn't seem open to talking about it.

"What happened after the Titans defeated you?"

Her attitude changed at once. "Why? You gonna gloat about it?"

"Why would I gloat when I'm the one who has to explain that paper to Slade?"

"Well." She grimaced, as though disgusted that she was actually having a conversation with Robin. "That was your stupid fault." She pushed past him. "Later."

* * *

After waiting in agony for the school day to end, Robin found himself back at the Haunt. Hoping that Slade was away on business was too much to hope for. Given the way Robin's luck had been going the past few months, Robin just had to accept that nothing was going to go right.

Slade appeared out of nowhere, an impressive feat given the size of the Haunt. It was as if he knew that Robin had bad news.

"Good afternoon," Slade said coolly.

Robin didn't say anything.

"We haven't seen each other all day. Aren't you going to say hello?"

"Hi," Robin replied in a resigned voice. "I mean, good afternoon, Sir."

"I believe you have something to show me. You got your paper back from Brother Blood today, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

"Let me see it."

Robin opened his bag, fished around for a few seconds, and then pulled the paper out of his bag and handed it to Slade, not daring to look at him in the face. Even though Slade didn't actually care about the classes, Robin knew that he was doing this just to mess with him.

"How disappointing," Slade said in his cool, slow voice, setting down the paper on the table. "I was hoping that you'd excel in Blood's class."

"Me too." Robin wasn't kidding.

Man, not only did he have to figure out Slade's expectations, but also all of his teachers at the HIVE Academy! He wasn't going to last a month if he kept freaking out over his grades.

"Did you ask him why you received this grade?"

"He said that it's too clear that I'm still…still not thinking like a villain." Robin hated this whole conversation. This was stupid, and being at the HIVE Academy was stupid. Talking about bad grades with Slade was taking this whole apprentice thing a little too far.

To Robin's horror, Slade sat down and began to read the paper. He scanned it quickly and then looked back at Robin. "He's right, but for the purposes of his prompt your paper is satisfactory."

"Slade…I mean, sir, what—"

"This is an excellent lesson for you, Robin," Slade said. "You and I both know that your paper was fine. So why would Blood give you that score?"

"I…" Robin paused. "To upset me."

"Because he wanted to see you squirm." Slade leaned in close to Robin. "He's trying to intimidate you. Your other teachers have not yet commented on the fact that your work is merely acceptable, low though their standards are."

At once Robin felt stupid for freaking out over a bad grade. It wasn't as if he hadn't gotten them before. But not knowing how Slade would react just ruined his day.

"I expect he'll want to know how our confrontation went," Slade said.

"He asked me to—I mean—"

 _Wham!_

Robin felt the wind being knocked out of him as Slade suddenly rammed a fist into his stomach. As Robin struggled out of his fallen Slade whacked him across the face.

"That should do it," Slade said. "Don't put ice on it. The bruise should be more than an answer for him. Brother Blood will expect you to come back punished. If you aren't, then he'll suspect that you're a spy. Do you understand?"

Rubbing his face gingerly, Robin nodded. If he didn't come back with a bruise, then Blood would know that Slade was aware that Blood was trying influence Robin.

"Don't forget that your loyalty lies with _me,_ and not the Academy," Slade said. "And don't be stupid. You can't walk ten feet into that school without causing trouble."

"It's not like I've been trying—"

"And don't think that I'm not watching you closely," Slade said. "I'm forgiving you _just once_ for publicly insulting me. Here's a lesson for you, brought on you by your own stupidity: why do you think I haven't yet mentioned your idiotic _History of Crime_ essay?"

Cold sweat ran down his neck. For a few moments he couldn't speak. "I…I don't know."

"Have _none_ of my lessons gone through your thick head?" Slade shook him, as though he intended to shake the answers from him. "Explain why."

Robin thought about it for a moment, trying to keep his fear in check. He almost couldn't think straight as he tried to think of a reason why Slade would let this slide. "The other kids are interested in me now. They're starting to respect me."

"And don't throw it away," Slade said, shoving him back. "Fail to utilize this opportunity and, I promise you, you _will_ regret it."

"I don't understand—"

"Don't argue with me." Slade glanced at the kitchen clock. "Go back to your room. This conversation is over."

Man, just as Robin thought that he had Slade figured out, he would go and do something else that baffled him. As Robin left he saw Slade looking over his essay once more.

* * *

 **A/N: I have a very crazy work week coming up, so *fingers crossed* I'm hoping to have the update for you on Friday! Thanks for reading!  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Stone

**A/N: Update!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Stone

Open house next week. Yeah, Robin heard right. At first he thought that he hadn't heard right, or that it was a joke, but as the homeroom teacher (in his case Ms. Hyacinth) declared that they would have to help get the classroom ready he resigned himself to the fact that it was happening.

Would Slade attend open house? Robin didn't know. He wasn't even sure if Slade had been inside the HIVE Academy. Even if he had hired Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo, he didn't have to go into the Academy to do it. Whatever Slade was trying to unravel, attending the open house would be the perfect opportunity to start mapping the place out.

During the Friday's free period, which ended up being not-so-free, students wandered the hallway, getting ready for the rally on Monday morning, which was the same day as the open house that evening. Robin was given the task of putting up posters, which the teacher seemed to think he couldn't mess up. Tacking posters to the hallway walls was something he could do, and he didn't have to talk to anyone. His mind wandered as he put up the posters, and his thoughts mostly centered on his grades.

The other teachers followed Blood's lead and started giving him poor marks, though it seemed like he wasn't the only one getting bad grades. Just yesterday afternoon a girl started crying because she had failed all of her in-class quizzes. As Robin looked over his own work, he realized that Slade had in fact given him a tip: the teachers here didn't reward textbook answers because that wasn't what they were looking for. That wasn't the point of a school training future criminal masterminds. Sure, they appreciated the right answers, but Robin noticed that those who really succeeded were those who cheated and lied their way to the top.

Huh. No do-gooders allowed here.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jinx heading towards him. He raised a hand and waved. "Hey."

She stopped walking. "What?"

"Nothing. Just saying hi." Robin stepped away from the wall. "Is that a crime? Guess Brother Blood didn't teach me that. I should do it more often."

"You're in a better mood."

"Sure."

Jinx glanced around the hallway, as though afraid that someone would see her talking to him. Sensing that she didn't want to talk, Robin gathered his things. The period was almost up, and he would have to get ready for his next class soon.

"There's a study group for Blood's class on Tuesday nights," Jinx blurted out. "If Slade will let you go."

"A study group?"

"Well, mostly a get-together in Brother Blood's classroom. Anyone who needs extra help is welcome to come and get it."

"You're saying I need help?"

"I'm grading your quizzes. Anyway, you wanna go? Think Slade will let you?"

"He just may, after that last paper."

"So it didn't go well." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, not so well," Robin replied, shrugging. "Not like any of our conversations go well."

"Will you ask him?"

"Yeah, I'll see if I can go." It would be nice to stay at the Academy a bit longer, and without being oppressed by his class schedule. While people were still trying prank him, people seemed to have gotten over their initial reactions and started treating him like a regular classmate. Someone had even asked him for his notes when they were absent. "It might cut into training, though."

Avoiding training with Slade was, admittedly, one of Robin's ultimate goals. But he also didn't want to spend more time with Brother Blood than he had to. Although Blood never said anything more about the awful paper, he seemed rather pleased that Robin had been punished for the bad grade.

"Thanks for inviting me," Robin said. "That's the first time since I've been here that anyone's invited me anywhere."

"Well, I know what that's like."

Robin looked at her. He hadn't really expected her to respond. "What do you mean?"

"Well, my powers aren't anything but bad luck."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing here?"

"Well, my first day wasn't the greatest, but yeah, I've made it work for me." She looked at him, as though surprised with herself. "Let me know if you can make it to the study group. I'll be the TA in charge."

"Sure."

"If you come don't forget to bring snacks. That's our only requirement for admittance."

"Slade's got a secret cookie recipe. I'll be sure to share it."

"I look forward to it."

For the first time since Robin had joined the freshman class at the HIVE Academy, he smiled, and not because he wanted Jinx to trust him. Her words were genuine, and he felt happy that she wanted to invite him somewhere. His smile had a profound effect on her. She looked confused for a moment, and then she sighed. "Good. You better be there."

* * *

A school rally.

It was just the thing to get the students pumped up about open house, as well as the rest of the school year. Now that classes were underway Robin got to see more of the other students.

Rallies were put on by the students, mainly the class president and the student body. Robin sat up in the stands with his class. By now people deigned to sit near him, though some were still wary of him. Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo sat just a few rows in front of him, though they seemed to ignore him. For now.

"Is this seat taken?"

Stone was walking towards him. He pointed at the empty seat next to Robin.

"Uh…" Robin remembered how Stone wanted an introduction to Slade, and hesitated. "Sure. Why not."

Stone took the seat next to him, though he was so big that he took up two seats. Robin crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, one of the few students who wasn't getting excited at this school rally.

"This is something, isn't it?" Stone asked. "I didn't realize the school was this big."

Well, that much was true. There were a lot of kids here, more than Robin thought there were at the Academy. He scanned the crowd, trying to get an idea of how many students were attending. Slade may already know, but it wouldn't hurt to have the information at hand. He only heard half of what the class president was saying, but he heard the last bit.

"Remember, everyone!" The class president proclaimed, nearly yelling into the microphone, "that open house is the time where we can recruit more students! Time for the showoffs to show off!"

Several people laughed. "And here is our Vice-Principal, Brother Blood!"

A wave of noise hit Robin as the students clapped for him. He approached the podium, and as he raised a hand all laughter died instantly.

"This is a reminder from the administration that you must be on your best behavior during the open house," Blood said. "This is not only an opportunity for us to attract more students, but also an opportunity for seniors to be recruited by some of the top villains around. There will be a job fair held in here, and everyone is encouraged to bring a copy of their criminal record…"

"What do you think, man?" Stone asked, whispering to Robin.

"It's high school." Robin shrugged. "I just go here."

"Thought you'd be more interested than this."

"Well, my opinion on this place isn't exactly a secret, so I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone."

"That's cool. I'm chill." Stone leaned back in his seat. "But hey, before I shut up, just wanna say that your paper was pretty rad. You got guts."

Robin glanced at Stone, and a wry smile appeared on his face.

Robin looked towards the HIVE faculty. All of the teachers and administration sat together, watching the rally with great interest. He hadn't heard if Slade was going to the open house, but if the Academy used it as an opportunity to attract clients, then Robin was sure Slade would go. Or, at least, send Robin to see who showed up to hire HIVE graduates. He was sure to find out that night.

* * *

After the rally was over, classes were back to normal, or as normal as they could be. At the moment, Robin was attending his daily gym class.

There were rules, and everyone was sorted into different classes based on their powers, but at the same time everything seemed a little chaotic. Class took place in a wide, yellow room with a high ceiling. No one had turned on the obstacle course, and it wouldn't be turned on until next term.

Mr. Sanderson, a stocky bald man, was their teacher. Robin was certain that he had superpowers, but he never showed them off. Maybe it was too terrifying to show off. He ordered the class to practice sparring with one another before moving onto stationary targets.

As they warmed up Robin saw Brother Blood watching them from a distant balcony. Why the vice-principal even bothered to come down here to watch the students, Robin hadn't the faintest clue. Maybe it was because Robin was here. While the teacher, like all the other faculty here, made Robin feel uneasy, he knew that he couldn't allow his uneasiness to overcome him here.

Targets erupted all over the room. The teacher blew his whistle and jabbed a finger at him.

"Robin, you first."

Approaching the box of weapons, he saw several explosive discs that looked similar to the ones Slade used. Even if he threw the explosive disc at Brother Blood one of the purple-robed guards was bound to attack him.

Robin tossed one of his explosive discs at the target. It hit the target, though the teacher seemed unimpressed.

"Stone, you're up next."

What a loser teacher. Stone, who had been in line behind Robin, walked up to the starting line.

"Hey, you," Stone said, pointing at Robin. "How about you and me do a little tag teaming? That all right, Coach?"

Sanderson shrugged. "Impress me."

"Why the heck should I team up with you?"

"Maybe it'll boost your grade."

"What makes you think I'm doing terrible in this class?"

Stone jerked his head towards the teacher, who was frowning at Robin.

"Whatever. Fine."

"Great!" A smile cracked across Stone's face.

Uh-oh.

The class watched them as they got ready, though Robin didn't know what he was getting ready for.

"We're gonna get rid of all of the targets, all at once," Stone said. He pointed to the explosive disks. "Grab a handful, and let's go!"

Stone barreled forward, and Robin almost tripped on himself trying to follow. There were twenty-five targets they had to hit, and there was no way one person could do it within the five minute time limit. Robin tossed disks at the targets as Stone smashed through them, a veritable two-man SWAT team.

"Look up!" Stone exclaimed.

Robin glanced upwards. There was one more target that he wouldn't be able to hit from here. Stone spun around. Robin jumped, and Stone launched him into the air.

As Stone threw Robin up to hit the last target, he flew high enough to be at eye level with Brother Blood. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as he tossed the disk at the final target, though the moment he threw it he knew that he would miss. For a few seconds he and Blood locked eyes as the disk hurtled towards him. Blood didn't flinch as Robin's disk missed its target and hit the wall next to him. Robin automatically tried to reach for his utility belt, but then remembered that he had surrendered it to school security.

Robin rolled back onto the floor and leapt to his feet, immediately speaking over Sanderson's angry shouts. "I'm sorry for the close call, Brother."

"That's quite all right," Blood replied smoothly. "But you missed your final target. Carry on."

Mr. Sanderson said nothing, though he began ignoring Robin for the rest of the period. Robin grudgingly nodded at Stone.

"We work well together."

Stone flexed his hand, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Sure we do. I mean, we work so well together that we should come up with a catchphrase. How about: I got the sonic if you got the boom?"

He felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head. Everything he had ever said to Stone flitted by, and he couldn't hear what Sanderson was telling the class. Robin just stared at Stone, unable to find the right words.

Brother Blood, who had climbed down the stairs to the gym floor, saved Robin from himself. He approached the pair of them, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Impressive," Brother Blood said. "Surprising, that you two would work well together."

"Don't know how I can work with this jerk," Robin said abruptly. "Just lucky, I guess."

"Of course, you're trained to work with Slade. Different fighting style." Brother Blood. "You show a lot of promise, Mr. Stone. I'd like to work more with you."

"Thanks," Stone said, rubbing the back of his neck.

The bell rang, and the students immediately dispersed, heading towards the locker rooms. Robin's uniform stuck uncomfortably to his skin. He made a mental note to bring comfortable workout clothes for this class. As soon as the boys gathered in the locker room they broke into excited chatter about Brother Blood. Stone, who didn't join in the conversation, lowered his voice as he pretended to rummage around in the locker next to Robin's.

"I'm staying in one of the dorms here. Can you stay until the open house?"

Mixed emotions fluttered in Robin's chest. He didn't want to look at Stone— _how did Cyborg even manage to create such a realistic hologram—_ and focused instead on pulling out the books he needed for the next period.

"No, I can't—" Robin stopped himself. "I have a lot of work to do."

"Just say you're staying late for an extra credit assignment."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Robin demanded. "It's dangerous. You shouldn't be here—"

"Neither should you."

"Look, I didn't _expect_ you to be here. This is the perfect time to talk to you."

The bell rang again. Their whispering was starting to draw attention now, and some of the other boys started lingering longer at their lockers.

"I have to go." Robin shouldered his backpack and turned away. "I'll see you around.

His hands felt clammy, and he hoped that Cyborg wasn't in any of his other classes. Excited though he was to see a Titan, he also couldn't be _quite_ sure that it was Cyborg until he saw him deactivate the hologram.

Even with the disguise to hide him, Cyborg couldn't stay undetected at the Academy for long. No one would overlook it if Robin, Slade's apprentice, formed a friendship with another student. Every single move was scrutinized closely, even if the teachers never said a word. It was safer if they just didn't do anything at all.


	6. Chapter 6: Open House

**A/N: Thanks for your patience! I had a crazy work week that wiped me out, so I had to postpone the update until my vacation day. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter Six: Open House

Robin couldn't concentrate for the rest of the day, and his teachers noticed. He didn't care that he kept fumbling over questions they shot at him, because Cyborg was here. He could talk to him, form an escape plan, tell him all about the nanobots—but no. Slade seemed to know what he was up to well before Robin got back from school, and there was good reason to believe that he knew about Cyborg as well.

But what could he do?

The whole day passed by in a blur, save for those few times the teachers preyed on his inattention. He ignored everyone else and focused on his schoolwork. No matter how much his classwork annoyed him, he had a lot of it and they provided a good excuse to ignore the world around him.

He couldn't afford to betray his emotions, not when the Academy guards drifted in and out of the corridors, when the school security cameras kept a close watch on him. He wrote a draft for his next History of Crime paper, studied his notes for chemistry, anything to keep his mind off of Cyborg. He didn't know why he was acting this way, since he should be happy that Cyborg was there, but he didn't know just how dangerous it was for him to be here. If the nanobots weren't involved, then he would be more okay with it.

Robin paused in his frantic studying, trying to calm himself down. He flipped through the pages of his chemistry book, wondering if there was anything in the school library that would help him get rid of the nanobots. Was he even allowed to take out library books? After a moment he slammed the book shut.

He was being stupid. Eventually they were going to talk, and it wouldn't help to panic. Instead he should figuring out the best way to meet with Cyborg and come up with a plan without Slade or the HIVE Academy noticing.

His communicator buzzed. Coming back to the world with a jolt, Robin checked an incoming text message.

 _"Stay there until the Open House."_

Holy crap. Slade was coming to the Open House.

Panic swelled in his chest. Did he ask Robin to stay there because he knew about Cyborg? There was no point in asking, because if he did then Slade would know. He leaned on the table and put his head in his hands. Until this Open House was over, and Robin figured out what Slade knew, then he would just lie low.

After his last class Robin spent his remaining two hours doing extra credit for classes in the library, deliberately avoiding Stone when he could. Cyborg probably thought that Robin was spending time there to brainstorm an escape plan, but Robin had no intention of interacting with him. Not until he was certain that Stone was Cyborg.

"What are you doing here?" Ms. Hyacinth demanded. "Causing trouble?"

Out of all of his teachers, aside from Blood, she seemed to dislike him the most. Probably because Robin made a fool of her in front of her class, as well as the faculty. Who knew if she got flak from Slade?

"No," Robin replied. "I'm staying here until the Open House because I was told to."

"And will Deathstroke be joining you?"

"I assume so. Don't you have someone to terrorize?"

"Only you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Do you like causing trouble for yourself?"

"It's what I do best."

"You knowledge of Gotham villains is impressive, though I should have expected nothing less from you."

Robin had never seen her in Jump City before, but he knew that she probably had caused trouble elsewhere.

"I'm the one who told the Headmistress about your paper," Ms. Hyacinth said, beginning to circle around him. Robin momentarily forget his terror about Cyborg. He straightened. "Tell me, how did Deathstroke react?"

"Everyone wants to know," Robin replied. "What if he's in on the whole thing?"

"You despise him, and everyone knows it."

"But what if that's an act too?"

Ms. Hyacinth paused. "Even if that's true, I don't have any reason to believe it."

"Bold words for someone at the bottom of the totem pole. Talk to me when you're ready to take my class seriously."

"There you are, Robin."

Ms. Hyacinth stiffened as she looked over Robin's shoulder. Robin stood up, somewhat glad that Slade had come in to end that conversation. Her attitude changed at once.

"Mr. Slade," she said, "You could have waited in the lobby while Robin finished his schoolwork. There was no need to come into the library."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, Ms. Hyacinth," Slade replied. "The whole Academy is open to the public, after all. I'd like to see the school." He turned to Robin. "Get your things. It's time to go."

As Robin followed Slade out of the library he made a face at her, shutting the door before he could see her reaction.

They made their way to the gym, where the job fair was being held. The atmosphere changed immediately when Slade entered the room. Anyone who had ever made fun of Robin stopped talking Students and faculty alike avoided Slade as he walked through the room. It would have been great if Robin had the courage to glance at his classmates, who didn't dare look at him, and dared them to attack him now. But the truth was that he wasn't in that mood. He didn't want to show them that he was the tough guy because it really wasn't true.

"Sir," Robin said. "Why are you here?"

"To be sure you're telling the truth." Slade glanced at him.

After a few minutes people began to swarm around them. Many teachers greeted him as they would have an old colleague, some having the nerve to shake his hand. Any animosity that they had shown to Robin vanished as they spoke with Slade.

"It's such an honor to have him in class," one of his teachers said. "Having Deathstroke's apprentice here is just—"

"Don't bother giving him accolades," Slade said. "I know he misbehaves."

Several other students were trying to listen in, though they looked away when they spotted Slade watching them.

"Misbehavior? At this school? Hardly a surprise." Brother Blood glided over to them. "Deathstroke," Brother Blood said. "It's a pleasure to meet you at least."

"And you as well."

"Robin shows promise," Brother Blood said. "He misbehaves, certainly, but it is encouraged at this school."

Stone was trying make eye contact with him, but Robin avoided him. If there was ever a time for subterfuge, then this wasn't the time. Not when Slade, Brother Blood and the Headmistress were in the same room. Even if Robin wanted to talk with him, he wasn't so sure he could slip away from the conversation without drawing attention to himself.

"Have you met Robin's other teachers?" The Headmistress said. "Their classrooms are open for the evening. I would be happy to give you a tour myself."

"Thank you, Headmistress."

Though most students didn't accompany their parents or mentors through the open, some of those who stayed in the dorms came out to meet their parents. But Robin didn't bother looking over at them. He was more worried about Slade's presence. For what purpose would Slade want to be here tonight? He could be checking the rough blueprints that Robin had begun sketching out.

But, it seemed, Slade wanted him there just to prove that Robin really did work for him, and the way the faculty treated Robin with Slade there was a startling difference.

Eventually Slade dismissed him, though he never said it out loud. His tone made it clear that the conversation didn't concern him, and quietly suggested that he get ready to leave for Jump City. Robin sidled away and wondered if there would be training tonight. It was getting late, and he suspected that Slade may have canceled it for the evening, just so he could talk business with his teachers.

He stood awkwardly in a corner of the room, surveying the crowd and trying to look busy. Stone approached him and spoke in a low voice. "Ask him to attend Brother Blood's study group tomorrow night. We'll talk then."

He couldn't allow his fear to overcome him. So long as they kept their mouths shut, they just might be able to figure out an escape plan. Just one thing: how was Robin going to tell Cyborg about the nanobots?

"Can you do that?" Stone asked.

"I'll try." Robin didn't look at him as he walked away. "I'll try to send you a message before then. You'll see tomorrow."

All of his teachers were deep in conversation with Slade, no doubt talking about him. Cyborg nodded, not daring to speak with so many villains around.

* * *

The Open House went well, and though Slade didn't want to attend it was the perfect opportunity to speak with Robin's teachers. After arranging for several individual conferences, Slade decided to go back to Jump City. He canceled lessons for the evening, though they were both still awake. Dick didn't seem to want to go to bed.

"There's a study group tomorrow night for Brother Blood's class," Dick said. "It's at seven, and it's for anyone who needs help."

"A study group?"

Slade planned to terminate Robin's enrollment as soon as he discovered Brother Blood's plan, but after he spoke with the HIVE faculty it seemed that Dick's continued presence could be beneficial. And, truthfully, attending the HIVE Academy seemed to be doing him some good. The kid was too tired to argue at the end of the day. Maybe letting him vent at the teachers was good.

"So can I go?"

"Will Brother Blood be there?"

"I think so."

"And who invited you? Was it Blood?"

"No, Sir. Jinx invited me."

Jinx? She was one of the three HIVE graduates he had hired to destroy the Teen Titans. So, she ended up speaking with him on amiable terms.

"Very well."

A spark of excitement crossed Dick's face. Did he actually want to go back to the Academy? Slade would have to get a list of students who attended Blood's study group. He may have formed a friendship with them. Slade suspected that it was less about doing well in Blood's class and more about spending time with her.

"Thank you, Sir." Dick moved to go back to his room.

"A word before you go," Slade said.

Dick leaned his head back and audibly sighed. The sooner he quit that attitude the better. It took most of Slade's self-control not to tell him off.

"Do that again and you won't be able to go to the study group." Dick sat back down, trying not to lose his temper. "I need you to learn more about Blood's class project, but you need to be careful around him."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you know about his powers?"

"Some sort of telekinesis, though I don't know to what extent. Why?"

"Until you know the extent of his powers then I don't want you to do anything stupid. I will need some of his files, but we'll have to coordinate that carefully."

"He's not going to do that unless he's really angry or he's enacting out some villainous plan." Dick looked at him. "Do you know something? I'd rather not find out about Blood's powers the hard way."

It was unfair to keep information from him, especially when they were supposed to be working together.

"I suspect he may have mind-controlling powers in addition to his telekinesis," Slade said.

"Great."

"Most likely he won't try to control you unless there's something he needs from you or me. I spoke with him last night, and for the time being it seems we are on neutral ground. So long as you take an interest in his class, and don't do anything stupid, then you'll be fine."

"And if he does try to put me under zombie mind control?"

"I'll go in to get you out. Is that understood?"

The kid looked dubious, but he had to trust Slade. "Yes, Sir."

* * *

Classes were abuzz over the open house, as so many Jump City villains had attended. Slade's presence did not go unnoticed, and his classmates seemed a little more wary of Robin than they had been before.

Desks were arranged in a circle for a class discussion in History of Crime, something that Ms. Hyacinth liked to do to get people talking. So instead of Robin doodling on his notes, he was forced to glare at his classmates. Today's discussion was about the different kind of villains out there, though an argument had sprung up about how today's technology had changed the way villains functioned since 1959. Technology, while allowing villains to broaden the scope of their villainy, also made for an influx of lesser villains, something that should not be allowed. A fascinating conversation, if everyone hadn't been so serious about it.

"Technology has allowed villains greater mobility," Private HIVE said. "But heroes are keeping up with us. So while villains can do more, so can the heroes. So long as they can keep up it doesn't even matter."

"It's more than just that," Robin said. "Technology has allowed villains greater mobility, sure, but it's not a matter of access to technology, though it's a part of it. It's the way you use the technology that can ensure your success."

Everyone in the classroom looked at him. He never participated in class discussions unless the teacher called on him. He sat there, his arms crossed over his chest, frowning.

"Would you care to elaborate?" Ms. Hyacinth asked.

"There's a difference between villains who desire destruction, who desire wealth, and those seeking to really destroy a person." Robin sighed, forcing himself to continue. "Sometimes they're a combination of some or all of them. I don't think you guys realize just awful you'll have to be to be a great villain. Access to technology is only part of it, and utilizing it well makes all the difference in the world."

"And what do you know?" a classmate demanded.

Most of his classmates sat in silence, waiting for Robin to speak. He didn't want to talk about Slade much with his classmates, and especially not about how he became Slade's apprentice, but Robin had to say it because Stone was in the class.

"I mean, I guess you're all wondering why I work with Slade," Robin said. "And I don't think you know, so I'll tell you: the Titans have these little nanobots all inside them, and if I don't work for Slade then he'll kill them. He tricked me by claiming that he had a Chronoton Detonator, which he didn't have, and used it instead to inject my friends with the nanobots."

No one laughed at him. He thought some would, but maybe some kids had gotten used to him as a classmate. Stone's expression never changed.

"So I'd argue that it's more about how you portray yourself, how you can make someone believe that you have technology you don't have that can influence the crime. So, I mean, you can see why I have a few problems with him," Robin said. "I mean, if someone did that to you, I'm sure you wouldn't admire them either. And if there's anything that would turn me into a villain, it would be that."

With everyone staring at him, and with this information to spread around the school quickly, Robin suddenly didn't want to be there. He got up to leave, not sure where he would go. A wave of heat nearly seared his face. Startled, Robin spun around to face Ms. Hyacinth, whose hands shimmered with heat. The door behind him smoldered.

"You are not to leave this classroom," Ms. Hyacinth said. "Sit down."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll make you. Or, maybe, I'll have another chat with Slade about those nanobots. I'm certain he wouldn't mind if the faculty were in on it, just to make you behave."

The bell rang, but no one moved. Then, she stepped forward and threw a fireball at him.

Students careened out of the way as Robin was ejected from the classroom in a cloud of ash and flames. He hit the lockers on the other side of the hallway and fell to the floor. Sly satisfaction, rather than anger, transformed her into something utterly terrifying.

"I know what you're trying to do," Ms. Hyacinth said, stepping out into the hallway. "We have no sympathy for you here. And make no mistake," she turned to the class, who had crowded around the doorway, "anyone who shows him sympathy will meet my wrath. If you truly want to be a villain, Robin, then here's some free advice: don't hand us weapons. You'll come to regret it."

A whirlwind of fire surrounded him as she flung out her hands. His hands automatically went for his cape before he remembered that he didn't wear it anymore. In a split second he managed to cover his face as the flames came closer. He coughed, his mouth and nostrils filling with smoke. The metal neck and arm guards he wore grew hot with heat, and he scrambled to unlatch them before they burned him.

Then, before he could take off the neck guard, the flames died down. Ms. Hyacinth stood in front of his classmates, her hands on her hips. The bell rang again.

"There's the bell. You're late for class."

Up until now he hadn't hated any of his teachers, but in that moment he wanted to throw something at her. He wanted to start a fight with her. She stood there, waiting for him to fight back. Then she would have a reason to put him in detention. Instead, he felt his face for any burns and ran a hand through his singed hair. He walked past her, gathered his things, and made his way back to the hallway.

Some of the older students walked around the mess, as though this was a daily occurrence. As students filtered back into their respective classrooms, Stone lingered behind for just a fraction of a second. He nodded ever so slightly before turning away.

The message was received.


	7. Chapter 7: Study Group

**A/N: Hi All! Thanks for waiting an extra day! The holiday season has been a little crazy, so your patience is appreciated!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Study Group

Whispers followed him throughout the day as closely as his shadow, though Robin deliberately ignored them. It felt like his first day at school, but now people weren't speculating about why he was there.

He wished that he didn't have to talk about the nanobots, but he had no other choice. It was less dangerous to announce it to the world rather than try to talk to Cyborg in private. Curiously enough, his communicator stayed silent for the rest of the day. If Slade had heard about Robin's outburst, then he was waiting until Robin came home after Brother Blood's study group.

After going through classes, and spending the time between the end of the school day and the time the study group began to finish some homework, he finally got up and made his way back to Blood's classroom. Brother Blood's study group was made up of a small coterie of students, most of them upperclassmen. Some of them murmured hello when Robin entered the classroom, though Robin didn't respond. He dropped his bag next to a desk and undid his arm guards, which had grown uncomfortable over the course of the day.

"Nice tan, barf-face," Gizmo said.

"Hmm. Forgot to put on sunblock today." Robin touched his face again. It had burnt him a little. "It's gonna leave a tanline, that's for sure."

"Ms. Hyacinth almost barbecued you, and that's all you have to say?"

"I've been through worse. Does she do that often?"

"It's not the first time she's done that," Jinx said. "Attack a student, I mean. It keeps us on our toes."

"Do other teachers attack their students?" Robin asked, thinking of how the upperclassmen had walked around the fire like it wasn't a big deal.

"It's not uncommon," Jinx replied. "You get it more your junior year, though."

"Robin. So glad you could join us." Brother Blood glided over, and Jinx stopped talking. He gestured for Robin to stand up. "Allow me to introduce you to the rest of the group."

Sensing that Brother Blood wanted a chance to speak with him alone, Robin allowed him to take him around the room to introduce him to the other students. Blood introduced him briefly to each of the students, who quickly went back to their work after they spoke. Instead of allowing Robin to go back to his desk, Blood pulled Robin aside.

"You've made the right decision, coming to my extra class," Blood said as soon as they were out of earshot from the other students. "Now that I know the truth, I should have suspected that you would come to me."

"What do you mean by that, Brother?"

"Why, it's obvious: you wish for retribution against Slade, and you are unable to do that unless you study hard."

Out of all of the jeers and snide comments he had heard all day, this one prickled the most even if it wasn't an insult. It was Robin's fault everyone knew, he knew that, and he knew that Blood would eventually comment, but he would have preferred an insult.

"It explains so much," Blood said. "Your history doesn't excuse your grades, of course, but now I understand."

"I'd rather not talk about it, Brother."

"But I do." Blood smiled a mysterious smile. "Why did you admit it?"

"Because it's the truth."

"Deathstroke won't accept that answer, and I won't either."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because you admitted weakness. Have we taught you nothing at this school?"

Robin remembered what Slade had said about Blood's powers. What if Blood had the ability to read minds? Or was he just uncannily good at reading people?

"Anyone can kill Deathstroke and take control of those nanobots," Blood said. "And perhaps someone else wouldn't use them as leverage against you, but they can and will kill off the Titans before finishing with you."

"Are you saying that you will?"

"I'm merely speculating."

"Speculating or plotting?"

Thinking about Slade controlling the nanobots was bad enough. He didn't want to think about any other villains taking them over, and especially not Blood.

"Please, Robin, accept my help. I've realized something today: you want nothing more than to defeat Deathstroke. And you know more than any other student here that experience is the greatest teacher in the world. Training with Deathstroke won't help you break out from the cycle. He's training you to think like him, and because he's teaching you he'll anticipate your every move. And because of that you will never escape."

No one had ever offered to help him escape Slade. But Blood spoke in a tone more patronizing than anything Slade had said. While Slade tried to disguise his patronizing tone, Blood just didn't. He was pretty annoying, actually.

"Really, Brother? What a way to introduce me to the study group. If you really want to help me, then you should do something about Ms. Hyacinth. I'm sure you heard about this morning."

"No." How infuriating. "She was trying to teach you a lesson, and you should be glad that she took the time to do so. Don't reveal any more weaknesses, or else you'll never survive to senior year."

"I don't need your help."

"Then so be it. Enjoy yourself, while you can." Blood took a textbook from his desk and handed it to Robin. "Study hard. You have an exam next week."

Robin sat down and opened the textbook, but he wasn't really reading it. Robin didn't feel like studying, but he had some time to kill before his ride showed up. Students quizzed each other for the exam, some of them asking Brother Blood for clarification. Time passed slowly, and every second that passed was one second closer to confronting Slade.

"Want me to quiz you?" Jinx asked, her voice bringing him out of his reverie.

"Nah, I'm good." Robin shut his textbook. Blood's words, and the day's events, distracted him too much to study. "Besides, my ride's almost here."

"Ah. I see." Jinx paused. "You know, some of us who stay in the dorms go out on the weekends," Jinx said.

"Why? Are you inviting me?"

"Fine. Be that way."

"You won't be able to get close to Slade through me." Robin stuffed his books back into his bag. "After today there's no way I'll be able to go, even if he would let me go."

"I'd be angry too."

Robin turned towards her. "Hm?"

"If someone did that to me, to Gizmo or Mammoth, I'd be mad too." Jinx put her hands on her hips. "Not everything I ask is gonna be about Slade. Just saying I get you."

"Glad someone else thinks that way." Robin shrugged. "Still can't hang out on the weekends."

"There's always Homecoming. Tell him it's a special field trip."

Robin laughed. He needed something to laugh at today. "It's been a long time since I've been to one of those." His communicator buzzed. His ride was here. "Gotta go. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Bring the secret cookie recipe. You forgot it today."

"I'll be sure to." The little knot in his stomach unknotted itself. Jinx wasn't so bad to talk to, sometimes. "Gotta steal it first. It's top secret."

* * *

Robin returned to the Haunt rather late. After not getting any homework done at the study group he would have to either stay up late or get up early to finish. That would be fun to explain to Slade.

It was dark and quiet in the main room. He walked past the giant television screens back to his room. He felt along the wall, trying to remember where the light switches were. He always forgot.

"You never fail to disappoint me," Slade said through the darkness.

Robin blinked as a single light turned on. Slade sat on the chair facing the screens. As he stood up the television screens turned on, flooding the room with a soft white light.

"Why do you sit in the dark, Slade?" Robin asked, shielding his eyes from the sudden light. "I've never understood that."

"Come here."

Robin glanced at the hallway. He had gotten so close. _Not like it mattered. Slade would have just talked about it in the morning._ He walked back towards the center of the room, mentally preparing himself for a lecture, or worse. Slade's chair was centered on a dais, so Robin had to look up at him.

"That was quite the speech," Slade said. "Announcing the nanobots to the entire school."

"It was part of the class discussion," Robin replied. "It wasn't in front of the school."

"It doesn't matter. You shouldn't have said that."

"Why? Wasn't exactly in our contract."

"You didn't have permission to discuss our situation."

"If I didn't then you should have told me." Robin looked at Slade. "Why not? You want me to lie?"

"No one needs to know."

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I undermining you? Sorry I told the truth because I was trying to engage in a class discussion."

Honestly, Slade _hadn't_ explicitly told him not to talk about it except to the Titans. Slade wanted to appear that Robin had joined him of his own free will. Well, mostly, anyway. It made his forceful personality a lot stronger if he could convince everyone that Robin had joined him.

"I don't care if it was part of a class discussion. Don't talk about it again," Slade said. "The nanobots are only between you and me. The only person from the HIVE Academy who should know is the Headmistress. Now I have to deal with teachers asking me about the nanobots."

Despite almost being turned into barbecue, Robin felt that it had been worth it. He had to keep pushing his limits, because if he didn't do anything everything would be worse. Cyborg, if he had made it back to the Tower tonight, would pass along the message. And now the whole school could talk of nothing else but Slade's nanobots, so it wouldn't look suspicious if Stone asked about them. And even if Cyborg didn't talk about it, the other students and teachers would. Eventually the word would get out to the Titans, and it was this that probably angered Slade the most.

"I'm not sorry."

"It seems that you have forgotten what's at stake," Slade said. "You'll be sorry soon enough."

"I haven't forgotten."

Slade pressed a button, and the television screens flickered on.

"I thought you'd guard your secrets more carefully, but maybe I was wrong. I thought you wanted to protect the Titans. Telling the whole world won't help you."

"Like you care about helping me protect them."

"I do care about your reputation. Revealing the nanobots and your emotional connection to them shows weakness. Your teachers will exploit it if they haven't already."

"Only Ms. Hyacinth. What's she got against me anyway?" Robin asked angrily. "I only said the truth. And what do I care? I already have you blackmailing me."

He raised his fists as Slade walked down the dais towards him. Robin stood still, his muscles tightening as he prepared for a fight. Slade grabbed Robin's fists and forced them down.

"It doesn't matter. Don't give her anymore reasons to attack you. Is that clear?"

The slight burns on his face prickled. After a moment Robin relaxed. It was a miracle that Slade hadn't struck him yet. Better not give him a reason to. "So what do you want me to say when I go back tomorrow?"

"You're not going back until next week. You need to catch up on your real training, and we need to go over what you've brought back."

"Can't it wait until the next break?" Robin immediately wished he hadn't spoken. Slade was pissed enough as it was.

"I've already notified the staff that you will be leaving for the rest of the week. Don't argue with me."

Yeah, right, like Slade had planned to do that. Staying here was his punishment, as Slade knew that he'd rather be at the Academy. At least there, even without Cyborg, Robin had other kids to talk to. Going back to isolation at the Haunt was worse than a day at the HIVE.

"You will stay here and train with me until next Monday. Is that clear?"

No use arguing with him now. At least he hadn't found out about Cyborg. "Yes, Sir."


	8. Chapter 8: Time Away

**A/N: Hi All! I think until Christmas I'll be moving updates from Friday to Saturdays/Sundays. It works better with my schedule. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Time Away

Robin didn't go to school for the rest of the week. Class seemed duller without him around, though no one stopped talking about him. Some students thought that Robin wouldn't come back, and that he had crossed the line. Others argued that Robin would, as he hadn't technically done anything wrong. No matter what they thought, Cyborg was worried.

The night after Cyborg heard about the nanobots he went home and woke all the Titans. There wasn't much he could do without some of Slade's technology to work off of, and more than anything he was worried that Robin had been punished for talking about the nanobots in the first place. He didn't tell the Titans that Robin hadn't showed up. It was likely that Slade had pulled him away to do other things.

Cyborg hung out in the dorms, where no one was doing their homework. Not like anyone could concentrate. Billy Numerous was sitting on the couch with all five of his clones, playing video games. Gizmo was sitting at a table tinkering with something. The topic, like it had been since the day after the Open House, was Robin.

"Maybe the snotrag's gone for good," Gizmo said.

"Why? Are you jealous he's getting attention?" Jinx asked.

"He's a weirdo," Mammoth said, chomping down an entire bag of chips. "First he acts like he's king of the school, and now he wants everyone to feel sorry for him."

"Why did Hyacinth do that?" Stone asked. "Robin participated in class discussion. He added value, I guess."

"It's not about that," Jinx said. "I'm not sure everyone was supposed to know about the nanobots."

"That'd make sense."

"Hey, why do you always want to talk about him?" Gizmo asked.

"He's different." Cyborg shrugged. "Besides, it's all anyone is talking about."

That wasn't a lie. Everyone was speculating, and some took great delight in mocking Robin's situation. Microscopic nanobots—what a great idea!

"I can't wait to see when the Titans are gonna snuff it," Gizmo said. "Private HIVE started a betting pool in his dorm room. You gotta check it out."

"That's a little messed up," Cyborg replied. "Have _you_ betted?"

"Well…no…" Gizmo made a face. "I don't care."

Jinx didn't say anything. Mammoth shrugged as he opened another bag of chips. "Whatever. Let's go out tonight and raid a taco stand. You coming, Stone?"

Cyborg hesitated. He had to earn their trust. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

What had been tolerable at the Haunt quickly became intolerable. Slade was one of those people best experienced in short sessions or not at all. These past few weeks Dick had gotten used to dealing with Slade after school or on the weekends, and getting back to a grueling all-day training schedule didn't improve his mood.

They spent most of the afternoons discussing the HIVE Academy in great detail. Not only about the layout, but also about the people Dick came into contact with.

This night, like every night he had experienced since enrolling in at the HIVE, Dick found himself staying up late to finish his schoolwork. Someone had delivered a week's worth of homework to the Haunt, which had been dumped on Dick's desk.

Slade, who usually watched his sleeping schedule like a helicopter mom, seemed to enjoy watching Dick struggle through his nightly workload after training all day. There was no time for thinking of an escape plan, or thinking about what Cyborg was doing at the HIVE, or trying to think of a way to contact the Titans. Until he finished his assignment at the HIVE, Robin was resigned to complete his schoolwork.

He worked on his assignments with a renewed vigor ever since Slade's angry lecture about the nanobots.

Someone knocked on the door. Not bothering to look up from his homework, he said, "Come in."

He heard the door open behind him. "Look, Slade, I've got a lot of homework to do, so I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't bother me."

"Good to know that you're working, Mr. Grayson."

Dick's blood ran cold as he turned in his seat. The Headmistress stood in the doorway and looked straight at his unmasked face. He wasn't even dressed in his apprentice uniform. She walked around his small room, studying his few possessions. Though she was smaller than Slade, her presence in his small room nevertheless made him feel claustrophobic.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's not your place to ask, is it?" She placed one of his books back on the shelf. "But I'm here at Slade's invitation. And don't be rude: call me Headmistress."

This room, as small as it was, was a place where he could rest. Slade didn't come in here often, as if he understood that he needed to give Dick some space. Watching the Headmistress walk around the room irritated Dick more than anything else. The room was so small that he wouldn't be able to leave without brushing past her.

"What do you need, _Ma'am?"_

"Me? I don't need anything." The Headmistress picked up a book from his dresser and examined it. "In fact, I'm here on your behalf."

Dick felt a great desire to grab his mask from his nightstand, but it was pointless now.

"Did Slade let you in, or did you break in?"

"Mr. Wintergreen let me in." She looked at him and set down the book. "Continue using that tone with me and I'll see that you're punished."

"Everyone's always ready to jump to extremes."

"Or maybe you require extreme treatment to behave."

They looked at one another for a moment.

"Come with me," she said, gesturing for him to stand up.

"Why?"

"Don't ask questions."

"Then why am I in your school?"

When Dick didn't move she pulled him out of her seat by the collar. He wrestled his way out of her grip. "I can walk by myself, thanks."

"Slade's got his work cut out for him."

They walked to the main room, where a conference table had been set out for them. Wintergreen was just finishing setting out a teapot and snacks, which Dick was sure wasn't for him. Wintergreen smiled as the Headmistress approached, taking the time to pull out a chair for her. Slade sat down at the table already.

"Thank you, Major," the Headmistress said as Wintergreen poured her a cup of tea.

"My pleasure, Headmistress," Wintergreen said. "It is, as always, delightful to see you."

"And you as well."

"Please don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."

"Of course, Major."

Dick sat down and watched the exchange, smiling uncertainly as they smiled at one another. Slade even looked a little annoyed as he waited for them to stop talking. What was up with Wintergreen? Dick had never heard him talk like that to anyone before. The Headmistress' attitude changed at once as she turned her attention back to Slade and Dick.

"What's going on?" Dick asked.

"Be quiet," Slade said softly.

"Thank you, Mr. Slade, for setting aside time to discuss Mr. Grayson with me."

"My pleasure, Headmistress."

"It's clear that since he's been at the HIVE that he has extraordinary talent, and thus far he has not lost his temper. To an extent. However," she paused, glancing at Dick, "the teachers have yet to see any real ambition. Expected, of course, given his background, but we can only teach those who want to be taught."

"Headmistress, let's get to the point: I want to talk about Professor Hyacinth attacking him. You didn't notify until today."

"An official report wasn't filed until the morning after.

"And why did it take you this long to notify me?"

"Professor Hyacinth was uncertain how to respond, and we had internal politics to deal with. I apologize for the delayed notification."

"So you didn't know how to handle it."

"We acted appropriately, and it is his first warning. It is not unusual for our teachers to attack students. It teaches them to be alert. However, it has come to my attention that you disagree with her disciplinary tactics."

"That's not the only thing I disagree with," Slade said. "The nanobots should have been kept a secret. We discussed this, Headmistress."

"There was nothing I could do to stop Grayson from discussing it." The Headmistress poured herself another cup of tea. "That is something you must discuss with him. However, now that the whole school knows, it is time to discuss damage control once he returns to class."

Damage control?

"I have already forbidden my staff from discussing the matter further, and have made it clear that they are not to use the nanobots to threaten him," the Headmistress said. "It is the students we must be concerned about."

"Aw, I'm touched," Dick said. "You guys care about me so much."

"Shut up, Dick."

"Yes, sir."

"The students can talk of nothing else but the nanobots," the Headmistress said. "Grayson's absence has only intensified their gossiping. Eventually the Titans will learn the truth. News travels fast in the underground. Does this concern you?"

"Oh, believe me, I've already thought about it," Slade said. "It's none of your concern what I plan to do about the Titans finding out. So why are you concerned?"

"The manner in which Grayson announced it has the potential to elicit sympathy from certain students, and I suspect that it already has. Despite the Academy's high standards this cannot be helped."

Dick thought of Jinx. Did the Headmistress know that Jinx had sympathized with him? Would she be punished for it? He hoped not. Jinx was the only student who was kind to him. Well, as kind as HIVE Academy students could be.

"I've already started a list of which students Dick has had contact with," Slade said. "We'll monitor those contacts, but for now do not take any action."

Slade wasn't going to hound him at the Academy. He still needed Robin to spy on Brother Blood, and while he was clearly angry that Dick talked about the nanobots, Slade understood that he could turn it around to make Blood reach out to Dick. He probably knew that Brother Blood already had.

"But if Mr. Grayson wishes to do well in this school, then he needs apply himself," the Headmistress said.

"And what makes you think I _want_ to do well?" Dick asked. "And why does the _Headmistress herself need to tell me?"_

Dick's heart jumped into his throat as Slade reached over and grabbed his neck. "What did I tell you about staying quiet?"

"I'm not in the business of brainwashing students," the Headmistress replied calmly, ignoring Dick's stifled choke. "But Slade assures me that you have ambition, and what he has told me of your Red X escapade, it appears that you do."

Slade let go of his neck.

"Let me give you some advice, young man, and perhaps you'll be smart enough to take it. Are you listening?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"You want nothing more than to escape from here. You merely tolerate the HIVE Academy. You might even find it more pleasant than being here." She glanced at the shadowed corners and the cogs churning above them. "You are conniving. Even now, you're trying to discover a weakness, a flaw in the system so you can escape. Every day we expect you to run, but you haven't tried to get past our security. Not yet, at least.

"According to Slade's report you stole Xinothium from one of Jump City's most respected suppliers and used it to create a suit to impress him."

"Get to the point, Headmistress," Slade said.

"Very well. Mr. Grayson, Slade and I have discussed your situation in private. It is, to answer your earlier question, because your situation is unique. Your real identity will upset the balance of the criminal world as we know it. My faculty have been treating you like your classmates, in some instances ignoring you completely because of your association with Slade, but it is clear that extra measures need to be taken."

"What do you mean?" Dick asked quietly.

"We will be working on a comprehensive teaching tactic that will incorporate all of your teachers and help you towards graduation."

What did this mean? That the teachers would put him in detention at the end of the day? Or what else?

"Brother Blood has told me that you refused extra help from him," the Headmistress said. "He has graciously offered you private lessons, and so I have arranged it with him. You'll be receiving a new schedule upon your return to classes."

"And you're okay with this?" Dick shot at Slade, though immediately regretted saying this. What on earth would make Dick think that Slade would even care to answer? Slade may have approved this before this meeting was even planned.

"Perhaps you'll get some work done in a private session," Slade replied.

Man, Slade totally knew that Dick hadn't done anything but talk to Jinx and Stone during that last study group. If Dick wasn't going to make the effort to get close to Brother Blood, then Slade was going to make him.

"Oh, come on!" Dick exclaimed.

Dick was exhausted enough as it was without extra assignments, what with the HIVE homework load and Slade's usual bullshit at the Haunt. At this rate he wasn't going to get any sleep. Not that the faculty would care how he felt.

"Dick!" Slade grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him back into his seat. "Apologize."

"He does not need to apologize to me," the Headmistress said. "These extra classes also placate Professor Hyacinth's anger, as Brother Blood and I have assured her that disciplinary measures will be taken. This will be part of your punishment for discussing the nanobots, though I hope you will not see them as such."

"She was the one who attacked me! I didn't even fight back!"

"And for that you will be disciplined."

What was Dick going to do now? Anyone he talked to at the Academy would be monitored. It would be next-to-impossible to talk to Cyborg, much less figure out a way to sneak the nanobot plans to him. And if Brother Blood started monopolizing his time, then what could he do?

"I hope that your performance will improve, Mr. Grayson. Aside from your turbulent relationship with my staff, I believe you have potential." the Headmistress said, standing up. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have an engagement this evening."

Dick watched her walk back across the room where Wintergreen, who Dick hadn't even heard sneak back into the room, was waiting for her. He held out his arm, which she took, and they took off, speaking softly to one another. She laughed at something he said before the front door closed behind them.

"Uh, Sir, are they—"

"Not another word. Go back to your room."

Slade looked at him, as though daring him to ask. Well, whatever. Dick could ask Wintergreen when he came back. Despite all of the anxiety Dick felt about this situation, he couldn't help but suppress a smile. He couldn't wait to tell Cyborg and Jinx.


	9. Chapter 9: Talk Less Smile More

**A/N: Hi All! I had extra time this week, so have an update! (And Happy Star Wars weekend! I haven't seen it yet, so no spoilers!)**

* * *

Chapter 9: Talk Less. Smile More.

This was the last day before Dick had to go back to school, and even with his new schedule he was looking forward to going back to people. Weekends for most people were refreshing, and now he felt drained.

He rose before Wintergreen had the chance to wake him. Maybe if he woke early enough he'd have some time to himself before their morning training session. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Dick made his way to the kitchen, though he stopped dead in the doorway.

Slade stood at the stove, angrily stabbing something in a frying pan.

"What are you doing?" Dick asked, suppressing a yawn.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"A science experiment."

"It's breakfast."

"Ah." Dick looked around. "Doesn't Wintergreen usually do that?"

"Shut up and sit down."

Dick sat down at the kitchen table, feeling weird as he waited for Slade to finish cooking. Now that he was here he wouldn't be allowed back to his room, so instead he made conversation.

"So where's Wintergreen?"

"Out."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know where he is."

They stopped talking when Wintergreen walked into the room. Oh. He shuffled through the room and made his way to the kitchen counter. Dick and Slade watched him in silence. He opened a drawer, took out a pill, and poured himself a glass of water.

"Good morning, Wintergreen," Dick said.

Wintergreen peered at him through reddened eyes. He grinned slightly and nodded his head.

"Morning."

Without saying a word, he turned straight around and walked out of the kitchen. They listened to him walk all the way back to his room. Any sleepiness that weighed Dick down was gone in an instant.

"He's wearing the same clothes as last night," Dick said, straightening in his chair.

"Glad to see that you're using your detective skills," Slade replied dryly, putting a plate in front of Dick.

"Did he _just come back?"_

"Shut up and eat your breakfast."

"Did he _just come back after leaving with the Headmistress?"_

"Wintergreen's business is his own."

"It seems pretty obvious to me what happened. You don't even have to be a detective to know what happened last night." Dick surprised himself with his interest in Wintergreen's love life.

"And what exactly are you insinuating?"

Slade totally knew. "They went out last night and got-"

"I'm not going to talk about this."

"How long has this been going on?"

Slade stared at him for a moment, as though bewildered by Dick's interest.

"Come on, Slade, I have to know."

"We're not talking about this."

"Did he text you his date night? I hope he did. I hope he instagrammed it so it's all over the Internet."

Slade just stood there. Huh. Maybe Dick used too many Internet words in one sentence for him to understand.

"He's always been that way."

"But how long has he been with the Headmistress?"

"I don't know. Why are you so damned interested in this?"

"Interested only in the fact that it's amazing that Wintergreen has more friends than you."

"We have a lot to do today. Shut up and eat your breakfast."

Dick finally got around to eating his eggs, though now he couldn't think of anything else but Wintergreen's night out. Up until now he didn't know that much about Wintergreen. And everything he had known about the Headmistress was thrown under a different light. He probably won't be able to look at her the same way again.

"Seems a little silly," Dick said, breaking the silence again.

"I'm glad we agree on something," Slade said.

"And do we agree?" Dick stuffed a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "I'm not so sure you like the fact that Wintergreen is dating the Headmistress. I, for one, applaud Wintergreen, even if I don't like the Headmistress."

"Who said that I didn't approve?"

"You seemed mad last night. Pretty sure Wintergreen was texting you the whole time."

"Never thought you would be interested in Wintergreen's love life. Perhaps you're more invested here than I thought."

The smirk on Robin's face vanished. "Eat crud, Slade."

Slade didn't even reprimand him. He just laughed. Fuming, Dick shoved his plates into the dishwasher and stalked out of the room.

* * *

Well, the fact that the nanobots hadn't been activated meant that Robin somehow talked his way out of trouble. Good. If Slade decided to test out his nanobots, then Cyborg's cover would be blown.

Much to Cyborg's relief, Robin came back on Monday morning. After Robin surrendered his utility belt to the HIVE security guards, Cyborg went up to him and spoke in a low voice. "Are you okay, man?"

"I'm fine."

"How mad was he?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Robin shook his head. "Let's not talk about this now."

Robin walked ahead, signaling the end of the conversation. If Robin had been punished for talking about the nanobots so openly, then he didn't show it. Just looked a little more tired than usual, but otherwise fine. And if he was hurt, then would he show it? Would Slade let him expose another weakness to the student body?

Robin had taken a great risk talking about the nanobots like that. Cyborg would have expected him to arrange a secret meeting so they could talk about their plan for getting rid of them. But in doing so, Robin protected Cyborg's identity. Who knew how closely Slade was watching Robin? He could have microphones or recording equipment on him, so Slade could listen to anyone he spoke with at school. That would explain how Slade knew about it so fast, and why he immediately pulled Robin out of school.

They sat in their usual seats on the opposite end of the classroom, not daring to change seats or glance at each other again for the rest of the period. Cyborg tapped his fingers against his notebook, not taking notes as he thought. Once the period ended, Robin picked up his books and raced out of the classroom. Cyborg gathered his things and followed him.

 _Now he's going to go to chemistry,_ Cyborg thought, thinking back to his notes. Robin's class schedule would be extremely important when the Titans came in to rescue him—

Instead of turning right towards the chemistry lab, Robin veered left.

What the heck?

Well, if he were a few minutes late to class, no big deal, right? Cyborg trailed Robin as closely as he could without being too obvious. Robin was walking towards Brother Blood's office, but he didn't have that class until last period, so why was he going there now instead of chemistry? Was it always gonna be like this? Cyborg made a note to start tracking Robin's new schedule. If Slade thought that he could throw them off with a new schedule, then he was dead wrong.

Though Robin had integrated himself into the school, he was still pretty much a loner. No one, aside from Stone and maybe Jinx, had tried to be his friend. Stone, on the other hand, quickly grew popular.

Class began a long time ago, but Cyborg didn't care. Having an extra class period with Brother Blood was too significant to ignore. Maybe Robin was in more trouble than everyone realized.

He looked all around the hallway, checking out the security cameras that were filming his delinquency. Cyborg rifled through his bag, pretending to be checking for something, trying to think of some excuse to walk in through the office. Then, after a few seconds, he went up to Brother Blood's door and knocked. Robin and Brother Blood stopped talking.

"Come in."

Cyborg pushed the door open. Robin sat across from Blood's desk, and he straightened in his seat when he saw Cyborg come in.

"What is it Mr. Stone?"

"Sorry. Didn't know you were in a meeting. I thought I left my physics books in your classroom yesterday."

"And you didn't think to find it until now?"

"Didn't need it until now."

Blood stared at Cyborg with his heavily hooded eyes. "Get back to class. Now."

"Yes, Brother."

Cyborg shut the door behind him, not daring to slow down until he made it back to class.

* * *

Private lessons with Brother Blood wasn't something Robin had been looking forward to. For a few long seconds Brother Blood said nothing as he glared at the door, annoyed that they had been interrupted. Any favor that Stone had managed to curry could be destroyed if Blood suspected that he was a traitor.

 _Idiot,_ Robin thought. _Why did you follow me here? Don't be stupid like me._

"Perhaps you're wondering why we have arranged several private lessons with me," Brother Blood said finally, turning back around to look at Robin.

Robin turned his attention back to Blood. "Well, sure. Seems a little low for the vice-principal to be conducting private lessons for a freshman."

"We have a lot to discuss, then." Brother Blood folded his hands together in front of him. Man, he was getting ready for a good long talk. "The Headmistress has found it necessary to arrange these meetings with you, not only for your benefit but for our school."

"I haven't caused that much trouble yet, have I?" Robin shrugged. "All I did was talk about the nanobots."

"Your presence disrupts classes," Blood replied. "I'm here to make suggestions based on your situation. Instruct you on how to act before you open your stupid mouth."

"That's Slade's job."

"He can't control what you say or do here. At least, not all the time. It is for this very reason that I'm speaking with you now."

"And why should I listen to you?"

"Because I said so."

So, Brother Blood was gonna be Slade at the Academy. Fine. Whatever. If talking was all they were gonna do, then Robin could handle that. Anything more than that and Slade would freak out.

"I'm certain you got an earful about the nanobots from Deathstroke, but let's talk about the repercussions here: why did you bring it up?"

"I said it because it's the truth," Robin said.

"Oh, so now you're telling the truth? From what I understand you weren't telling the truth before, not to the Titans you call friends."

"Ok, look, pal," Robin said angrily, standing up to leave. "I get enough of this from Slade, and I don't need your input."

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Robin wrenched the door open, but to his surprise it slammed shut. He backed away. He had almost forgotten about Blood's telekinesis.

"Do you ever wonder why we allowed you to enroll?"

Robin wanted to say something inappropriate, but he restrained himself. Humor would only get him in trouble. "No."

"You have potential, even if it's not apparent at first. Now, if you were thinking like a villain like you're supposed to, what would you have said if someone confronted you about the nanobots?"

"Why?"

"Answer my question."

"No."

"Hyacinth was right: people will see it as a weakness. It is how Slade controls you, and if he can use that then anyone can."

"You know, Slade can tell me this himself. I don't need you to tell me."

"But do you want him to?" Brother Blood smiled. "He doesn't understand you, not as well as he thinks he does."

"And you do?"

"I know what you want: to free your friends."

"Slade knows that."

"He knows, but he will never give you what you want."

"You won't help me free them. And even if you do, then what? I work for you instead?"

"Then you'll be free."

Robin bristled, though he didn't know what was bothering him. Knowing what the enemy wanted went both ways. Brother Blood's ambitions were clouded, and until he knew what Blood wanted then he could never trust him.

"I'm looking forward to our talks," Blood said. "I'm only here to help you. Will you permit me to give you some free advice?"

"That's all anyone wants to do these days."

"Don't let anyone know whose side you're on. If you want control, then you will have to be as enigmatic and volatile as your mentor. You do not have control of your situation now because Deathstroke can read you. You allow him to provoke you, just as you allow so many other teachers at this school."

Is this what their private lessons would be about, then? How to overthrow Slade? Robin got up to leave, and this time Brother Blood did not try to stop him.

"Trust me, Robin. If you bring me blueprints, weapons, anything that belongs to Slade, I can help you disable the nanobots."

Robin pushed open the door again. He didn't need Brother Blood's help with that. Cyborg was at the Academy, and he was the only person he would trust with Slade's technology. If Cyborg hadn't infiltrated the HIVE, then Robin may have considered the offer.

"It will take you years to figure it out on your own, even if you had your friends to help you," Brother Blood said. "Remember that."

* * *

Robin bolted out of the school at the end of the day, though Cyborg expected it. Until things settled down about the nanobots, he would probably be avoiding any unnecessary contact. Cyborg retired to his dorm room that night, wondering if he should check in at the Tower before turning in for the night. Maybe it would be better to gather more information before talking to him. They probably had a lot of questions he could find the answers to beforehand.

Someone knocked on his dorm door. Without waiting for Cyborg to answer, Brother Blood came in.

"Mr. Stone, a word."

"Of course, Brother." Cyborg gestured towards an empty chair, though Blood didn't sit down.

"Were you following Robin this morning to my office?"

"Uh….."

"It's quite all right. I mistrust him as well. I'd like you to keep an eye on Robin for me."

"Why?"

"There's a larger game at stake, Stone," Brother Blood replied. "Surely you can see the subtleties of what Deathstroke is really planning. Why do you think Robin was absent last week?"

"Because he talked about the nanobots."

"Correct, though I hope you see the greater implications of his words. He exposed his weakness not because he wanted to participate in a class discussion, but because he wanted someone to hear him. I intend to find out who. Now, he will be taking extra classes with me—"

"So why do you need me to spy on him?"

"I can only learn so much about Deathstroke's plan as his teacher," Brother Blood said. "We have a restricted agenda. The nanobots are only just part of it. Obtaining an apprentice is just one part of a larger plan. He needs someone as his right hand man, and as much as I want to believe that Robin is here to learn, I'm afraid that he's here to learn about the wrong things."

"So you think he's a spy."

"Correct."

"Why are you trusting me with this information? Why not Jinx, or—"

"Because, Mr. Stone, he will trust you."

Cyborg looked at Brother Blood steadily. It would be foolish to ask if Brother Blood knew who he was. This request could be genuine, or Brother Blood could be using this opportunity as a thinly-veiled threat. And after interrupting Brother Blood and Robin's talk, he couldn't say or do anything foolish.

"And why will he trust me? He talks to Jinx more often than everyone else here."

"You have yet to learn the subtleties of villainy," Brother Blood replied. "Robin is at a standstill. He will not fully trust Jinx because she reminds him of the Titans because she has fought him before. Though he was sent here as a spy, he is reluctant and be more willing to reveal Slade's plans to someone he doesn't know. You have no connection to the Titans. He will be more open with you, if you play it right."

"Slade's keeping a close watch on who Robin comes into contact with."

"That does not surprise me. If he did not, I would be disappointed."

Was there something going on between Slade and Brother Blood? If there was, then Cyborg hadn't noticed it before now. They were using Robin as part of their proxy war, if there _was_ something going on.

"You really think Robin's a spy?" Cyborg asked. "You don't think he's still a hero at heart?"

"Of that I have no doubt, but Deathstroke is crushing his heroic resolve. This is part of Deathstroke's training." Blood looked at him. "So, will you assist me?"

"Of course, Brother."

"Thank you, Mr. Stone. I look forward to working with you."

How on earth was he going to explain this to the Titans? And what Brother Blood's real plan? At the very least, Cyborg now had an excuse to talk to Robin without it looking so suspicious. Yikes.


	10. Chapter 10: Propositions

**Dear All,**

 **Thank you for your extraordinary patience, and thank you for those who sent their condolences. I planned a great many things for this fic, including a weekly update (with a bonus update at Christmas), but I lost my Dad suddenly in a terrible, terrible accident a few days before Christmas. This loss has completely thrown every aspect of my life into chaos. Because of this, I've been rearranging my life around this unexpected loss, which includes more responsibilities and attempting to transition to a new full-time job. And, unfortunately, so many things have happened so quickly that it's been hard to organize all of my creative projects.**

 **This fic ended up at the bottom of the to-do list. My creative productivity has been so precarious for months now, however I'll be working on this fic, with sporadic updates, until its completion.**

 **As such, if there are any errors or typos, please let me know immediately. I will do my best to fix them on a timely basis, and I appreciate your feedback.**

 **Thank you again for reading and reviewing.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Propositions

Weeks stretched into months, and before everyone knew it mid-terms came crashing down on them. Several sessions with Brother Blood left Robin pissed off, so by the time he got home from school he didn't have the patience to deal with Slade or his unreasonable training hours.

The moment he came back from school Slade put him to work until late into the night. Robin's arms ached from buffing the armor on those stupid Sladebots. A faint headache from Slade's extra homework was creeping up on him, threatening to transform into a migraine, and the soles of his feet burned from the repeating the same exercise over and over again.

And to think that he had another paper to write before 8am tomorrow morning. Wonderful.

This particular evening Robin backed away, trying to orient himself in the haze of tiredness, bracing himself for another series of attacks from Slade. What were they doing again? Oh yeah, they were working on his weak points during sparring. He kept making the same mistake over and over, and this inability to correct this mistake pissed Slade off.

Slade ran at him again, swinging the bo-staff down onto him. Instead of defending himself, as Slade expected, Robin just stood there and let it slam into him. Surprised, Slade changed the force of his blow from Robin's head to his shoulder. Crumpling under the force and pain of the blow, Robin allowed himself to fall to the floor.

All he wanted to do was shut his eyes and go to sleep. Man, the Titans had better get their plan ready soon. Robin couldn't take much more of this.

"What's wrong with you?" Slade demanded.

"Nothing. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?" Robin threw up his hands. "So glad you asked."

The moon had come and gone since he had last glanced at the sky window. Just how many hours of sleep had he gotten last night? Three? Four?

"Get up."

Robin pushed himself slowly to his feet. "You know, I thought that I just had midterms at school. Didn't realize that I had them here too."

It took him a moment to realize that his hands were shaking from tiredness. One more drill and he would pass out on the floor.

"Take a seat," Slade said gruffly.

By the sheer strength of will he dragged himself to the bench on the other side of the room and forced himself not to collapse. He grabbed a water bottle and drained it, wiping the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand.

"What do you think Blood is trying to do, Slade?" Robin asked. "I can't help you unless I know what you're planning."

"You already know. Take a wild guess."

He sat still, breathing heavily, blinking through the sweat dripping down his forehead and his increasing weariness. After a moment Robin cocked his head to the side. "He's trying to usurp the Headmistress."

"And you don't want that?"

"Not particularly."

What a liar. Of course Robin wanted to usurp the Headmistress. But usurp the Headmistress with Slade? Yeah, right.

"Like it or not, the HIVE is a threat to us," Slade said. "They have a good number of students, many of whom will go on to be or work for major villains. It's imperative that I know who will be a threat."

"So that's why you put me there. What happens when I graduate? I won't be able to keep an eye on the others."

"You'll know who to watch in your generation when you take my place. And don't be so deluded to believe that you'll stay there long enough to graduate. I don't intend to take you away from your more important training."

"Why don't you become the new Headmaster, Slade? You being so great with kids and all."

Slade didn't even bother to respond. "We must not allow Blood to usurp the Headmistress."

"Thought she wasn't on our side."

"Everyone is on their own side. But the Headmistress and Blood have different goals: The Headmistress keeps her power through the alumni networks. She cultivates those relationships, persuades some alum to donate back to the Academy. Blood won't do that. He has a different goal in mind: to use the students as an army."

"Why won't the Headmistress do it?"

"Because that's too obvious. She wouldn't have as many students if she used the school as a recruiting ground."

"But Blood's powers—"

"Are too powerful. He's planning his next move, and it's only a matter of time before he attempts to overthrow her. Find out when he's planning his coup."

"So what happens when I do?"

"It'll be a surprise."

"And don't you know how much I just _love_ your surprises."

"Be careful. He will try to get you on his side. He may have asked you already. Remember whose side you're on." Slade paused. "Though it would be stupid of me not to believe that you're acting for anyone but yourself at this time."

It was getting late, and if Slade didn't let him rest soon then he'd be a mess in class tomorrow. He leaned over and rested his hands against his knees, hoping that Slade

"Before I let you go for tonight tell me about Stone."

"What?"

"Stone. You said that he sneaked into the school, and that was how he was admitted."

"So?"

"He's become one of Blood's favorite students, and he's integrated himself into Blood's coterie."

"I don't know much about him."

"I think you do."

A cold sweat ran down Robin's spine. "You already know he's a powerhouse. Kind of a jerk. Don't really want to talk to him."

"But he's in your study group with Blood."

"…Yeah. So?"

"Surely he's said other things of value to you."

"He said he'd like to meet you. That I'm lucky to be your apprentice."

"I see."

What was Slade thinking? Did he know the truth?

"Perhaps I should meet him," Slade said.

"What?"

"Suppose that my theory is correct, and that Blood is building an army. To build an army you need a leader, a lieutenant, someone who the other students trust. Sneaking into the school…that showed initiative."

"Whatever."

"You know," Slade said. "I would appreciate it if you showed a little more initiative yourself. From what little you've told me, it seems as though he's already worming himself into the school. He knows where the real power lies."

"I'd say that if he wants to be your apprentice, then you should just let him," Robin said, throwing his towel over his shoulder. "But I wouldn't wish it for anyone at this school. Not even the people I hate." He glanced at the clock. 3am. Way past his bedtime. "Good night. Sir."

* * *

Mid-terms affected him more than he thought it would. Part of him—the competitive side of him—wanted to crack down in the library and study. Other students were doing the same, even those he didn't think cared about their grades.

Yet as soon as he left the school grounds a deep, deep melancholy settled into him, a melancholy that ached him to the bones. Words and faces blurred, and he barely noticed the days flitting by.

It occurred to him, in those few quiet moments he had, just how surreal his situation was. Everything from the time he became Robin to the present seemed like a dream. And he couldn't help, in those moments, remembering everything from his parents to the moments just before he became Slade's apprentice. Everything that had been driving him forward—his determination to discover Slade's real plan, masterminding an escape plan, his burning desire to piss Slade off—came to a complete halt.

As it was with most things in life, this revelation hit him at the most inconvenient time.

Who knew what triggered it. Robin couldn't keep up with everything all of the time, after all. He was only human. Perhaps it was the shock finally kicking him after a few months, or a creeping fear that one day Slade would find out that the Titans had infiltrated the HIVE Academy.

"Hey, are you all right, man?"

Robin looked up from his textbook, which he was hardly reading at all. When Cyborg spoke, he didn't sound at all like Stone. He sounded like Cyborg.

"I'm fine," Robin replied in a low voice.

"Are you sure—"

"Don't talk to me," Robin snapped.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. There were times that he thought it would be easy to talk about his situation, but as time passed he found it increasingly difficult.

"You really shouldn't be here," Robin said in a low voice. "It's making it difficult for both of us."

"What do you mean?"

"Leave me alone."

Robin shot Cyborg a glare that should have conveyed everything that he wanted to communicate without betraying any more information than they could expose.

"You shouldn't shut people out like this," Cyborg said in a lowered voice. "Look—"

"Go away."

It was for Cyborg's own good that Robin push him away at this time. Cyborg didn't understand how he felt, and it was impossible to explain it to him.

"Come on, man—"

"Why don't you just leave me alone?!" Robin stood up so fast that his chair clattered upon the floor. "It's not like you want anything to do with me unless it has to do with Slade!"

Other students looked around in alarm.

Robin threw a punch at him. Instead of rolling with it, Cyborg stood still, allowing Robin's fist to crumple against the hard steel of his chest. He caught Robin's arm and swung him around, flinging him against one of the study tables.

As he rolled back onto his feet, Robin felt an invisible power slip around him, holding him hostage.

"Feeling a little stressed, are we?" Brother Blood's eyes glowed red as he walked through the library. "Decided to practice for your physical exams in the library?"

Robin glanced at Cyborg, who also stood frozen, his arm pulled back for a punch and his face twisted in a half-snarl. Several seconds passed as they looked at each other, listening to nothing but Blood's heavy breathing. Someone snapped a picture with their phone.

" _Don't you all have studying to do?"_ Blood shouted, the student's phone exploding in a shower of sparks. _"GET OUT!"_

They scattered, leaving them alone in the library.

Several purple-robed security agents glided into the room. The force around Robin's chest tightened as Blood spun around towards them.

"Honestly, what's the point of putting you on payroll if you don't _keep the peace?"_ Blood spat. "Breaking up fights is your job, not mine!"

"No point, Brother," one of them said, bowing a little.

"Here." Blood flung Robin towards them, lifting him from his telekinesis. "You know better than to let this one go anywhere without an escort."

The world spun as he tried to right himself, his feet stumbling underneath him and his hands reaching out for a table to stop his fall.

"Yes, Brother," the guards said.

"And _you,"_ Blood snarled, turning to Cyborg. "Get out of here. I'll see you in my office. Tonight."

Cyborg opened his mouth, as though to argue, but then he sighed. "Yes, Brother."

"Good Lord," Blood said, rubbing his temples, "you would think that there would be _some_ discipline around here."

As Blood yelled at the guards Robin collected himself. Whatever he did next, he had to distance himself from Cyborg. The more information he fed Slade, the closer he would come to figuring out the truth. He couldn't allow that to happen. Whatever Cyborg was planning, whatever he was doing for Brother Blood to help bring the HIVE down, Robin couldn't let him do it. Once Blood or Slade figured it out, then it would be over.

"Am I right to assume that it's not only midterms that is causing you stress?"

"That'd be the understatement of the century." Robin walked out of the library. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Brother, I'll be going to chemistry."

To Robin's dismay, Brother Blood followed him into the hallway, all the way down to Robin's assigned locker. Didn't the guy have classes to teach all day or something?

"I'm sorry, Brother," Robin said in an emotionless voice, "I won't start a fight again."

"Have you thought more about my proposition?"

Robin opened his locker. "Why should I?"

An explosion of books and papers erupted from his locker. Muttering angrily, Robin bent to pick up the fallen books. A sudden, blinding pain attacked the back of his head as the locker door slammed shut on his head. He stumbled, trying to find his balance while ignoring the throbbing pain on the back of his head.

"You know, I get enough of that from Slade."

"I don't _think_ you're interested," Blood replied. "You already are."

"Unless you have a plan for the nanobots, then I don't care."

Though Blood didn't touch him, Robin felt another wave of power ripple through the air, pushing him back into the lockers. The mental lockers dented under the sudden weight. Robin grimaced.

 _Again_ with the telekinesis?

"You want to start a fight? I can oblige. But next time you start a fight, I won't be so amused."

"That's what you call amusing?"

"Now, now, be careful." Brother Blood smiled, although there was no warmth behind it. "Due to your unusual situation, I'll let this slide."

"Why? Surely it can't be the goodwill of your prickly heart, Mr. Grinch."

"Just, for once, can you be _quiet?"_ A muscle in Brother Blood's cheek twitched. "You should be grateful that I'm willing to help you."

Robin clenched his textbook tightly. No matter what Slade wanted, the sooner Robin helped him discover Blood's plan the sooner he would leave the school, and after he left the school he wouldn't have contact with Cyborg anymore.

"If this is what Deathstroke deals with on a daily basis then I give him more credit than he deserves," Brother Blood muttered.

"Would you like to swap places?" Robin said.

"I thought I told you to be quiet."

"Only Slade can tell me that." Even considering Brother Blood's powers, Blood held no real power over Robin. So long as Blood didn't pose a threat to the Titans, then Robin wasn't afraid of him. At least not yet. But Robin paused. Perhaps, considering the conflicting interests of Brother Blood and Slade, he could pit them against one another. Who know what could work at this point? "But what do you have in mind, Brother?"

All at once the papers and textbooks flew back into his locker.

Brother Blood smiled. "I'd love to talk about it. Come into my office. I'll have you excused from your next period."


	11. Chapter 11: Midterms

A/N: **Well, here I am, and happy Fourth of July!**

 **Thanks for waiting, everyone, as I work my way through my quarter-life crisis. Update shenanigans at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 11: Midterms

"This is the greatest thing I've ever come across on the Internet," Beast Boy said.

"It's really amazing what social media can do," Cyborg said.

"We should have thought of this _months ago."_

Beast Boy sat in an office chair, his feet up on the seat as he scrolled through the HIVE Academy's Facebook group, his face cracked in a wide smile.

Naturally, being one of the more popular boys in school, Stone had accumulated a massive following on the HIVE's inner social media network just because he was that cool. Though not sure how much the HIVE administration knew about the plethora of Facebook groups online, Cyborg knew that this was an opportunity he couldn't miss and immediately created a fake profile.

"Robin didn't join the group," Beast Boy said. "Make him."

"Not so sure Slade would approve of social media."

"Hey, you never know. Maybe he doesn't even know what it is." Beast Boy's eyebrows shot up knowingly. "We could communicate via snapchat. The pics disappear. Slade would never know."

The only possible profile that would be linked anywhere would be Dick's personal Facebook, which hadn't been updated in months. Not that Dick was ever really into social media—too busy dressing up as Red X and looking for Slade, after all.

"Heck, maybe he can make one at school." Cyborg's tone shifted, all humor gone. "I don't want to get him in trouble. He's already risked a lot telling me about the nanobots."

Since telling the whole school about the nanobots, Robin definitely hadn't been acting the same, and for good reason. Avoiding Cyborg was just a way to protect the Titans, and while Cyborg understood Robin's reasoning that was just too bad. The Titans were going to barrel into the HIVE Academy whether Robin liked it or not.

"What about getting him one of those HIVE communicators?" Beast Boy asked. "Maybe then he'll be able to contact us."

"We'll see."

As they scrolled through the pictures they spotted Robin lingering in the background, hands in pockets and scowling in every photo he happened to be in.

They had a long night ahead of them. With the academy blueprints in their hands, along with Robin's general schedule and knowledge of the nanobots, they felt that they had some semblance of control. The Titans knew what they were up against now, and if Slade was as terrifying as he seemed then rescuing Robin during school hours was their best bet.

* * *

"Dick, what are you doing?"

Reality came back to Robin in a crashing wave. He looked down at his hands. Somehow, his hands rested on the keyboard of Slade's personal computer. Where was he? Dick didn't remember this room. Slade stood over him, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't know."

Panic rose in his chest. This must be Slade's real office, not the one Robin frequented during his daily lessons. Blueprints and schematics he had never seen before littered the desk. Had he disturbed the piles of papers on the desk?

"Slade, please, I don't remember—"

Slade shook him. "What were you doing?"

"I don't know—"

"Don't lie to me."

 _"I don't remember!"_

Why would Slade believe him? Slade's grip on his arms lessened, and after a moment of uneasy silence he let Robin go.

"I believe you."

Robin thought he would never hear those words from Slade. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I—" Robin couldn't remember. "I went to school. Talked to Brother Blood."

"It's just as I thought," Slade said, muttering to himself.

"What?" Robin demanded.

"Blood's trying to get to me through you. He put you under his mind control."

What if Blood had tried to get Robin to do something much worse? Like had him steal the trigger from Slade and push the button?

"How did you know I was under mind control?"

"You wouldn't do something this stupid without a plan. I watched you walk in here. If you were trying to sneak around, then I'd expect more finesse. You've been trained better."

Walking right in here, probably like some zombie from the Walking Dead, without knowing it terrified him. Robin collapsed into Slade's office chair, half-scared from being under zombie mind control and half-annoyed that Slade could tell he was under mind control just from the way Robin schemed escape attempts.

"How can I stop him from doing it?" Robin asked.

"You can't. That's what makes him so dangerous."

What if Brother Blood put Cyborg under mind control? Did he have a limit as to how many people he could control? Was the entire faculty under his control?

"Then why should I go back?"

"There are many moving pieces to account for," Slade replied. "You're just a part of it, and I can't tell you how. You'll just have to trust me."

As the shock wore away, Robin found himself studying his surroundings. There were many unexplored rooms in the Haunt, where Robin assumed the blueprints to the nanobots and other nefarious plans were kept.

A curious circular device sat in the corner of the room, occasionally crackling with power. A reddish hue pulsated through it, the heartbeat of a machine too complex for him to understand. He rose from the chair, studying it as Slade rearranged the papers on his desk. As Robin stood there, he felt the slight electric hum running through the floor.

What the hell was _that?_

Slade grabbed his wrist and yanked upward. "Don't ever come in here again."

Robin fought the urge to glare at Slade, wanting so much to challenge him. His gaze slipped back to the pulsating orb. Something about it mesmerized him, drew him to it. Slade followed his gaze. A dull thumping crawled into his ears, and his mouth felt dry. Still gripping Robin's wrist, Slade dragged him over to the orb.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Is this a rhetorical question?" Robin reached out with his other hand to touch it. Slade yanked his wrist up. "Ouch."

"You don't want to touch that," Slade said. "Trust me. It'll be painful."

"What is it?"

"This, my friend, is the _real_ Chronoton Detonator core."

When Cyborg sliced open that Chronoton Detonator, this is what he found? Clearly not the metallic core, but something else. In those fatal moments, right before that thing split open, what did Cyborg expect to find? What did he expect to do? Robin fixed his gaze upon it, as though trying to memorize all the parts before he was forbidden from this room again.

"I'm not going to hide it from you. Look at it. Know that it's far beyond your understanding, and that it will take years of experience for you to even operate the things."

Nanobots _were_ far beyond his knowledge, and Robin knew it. Understanding them required not only mechanical knowledge, but how to operate them. And if he somehow knew enough, then what?

"You're real great at these pep talks."

"Don't mock me." Slade let go of his wrist. "I wouldn't if I were you. Not with their lives on the line."

"Someday I hope I'm as smart as you," Robin said sardonically. "Then maybe I can beat you at your own game."

"I look forward to the day you are."

Sometimes Robin didn't know whether Slade was joking or not. His suspicions told him that Slade wasn't joking, and he didn't know how to feel about that. He looked at the orb again.

"Why did you tell me what it was?" Robin asked.

"Don't think I don't know what Blood is doing," Slade said. "He wanted you in here. He wants you in trouble."

"So why explain it to me?"

Eventually Robin would have figured out where Slade kept the nanobot power source. It might have taken him a while to find this room (probably Christmas vacation…if the HIVE even had winter breaks…), but he would have found it.

"I'm here to teach you. Eventually you'll learn more about the nanobots. Might as well know now, so you know _not to touch it._ "

Hm. That wasn't all to it. Now they were on an equal playing field. Slade didn't hide the information because he wanted to tell Robin that, even _when_ he knew where it was, he could still keep Robin under control. And, knowing Slade as well as he did, Robin knew that Slade wouldn't share this information unless he had another card up his sleeve.

"Tomorrow you'll go back as if nothing happened. Blood expects a reaction, and we're not going to give it to him."

"You're not going to explain that either, are you?"

"Shut up and go to bed."

Mere willpower wouldn't be enough to stop Brother Blood. And while the idea of not working for Slade was very much appealing, being brainwashed by Blood wasn't a much better option. Robin huffed and left the room. Maybe next time he tried to escape he'd use Blood as his excuse.

* * *

"Grades are out!"

Everyone crowded around the bulletin board. Unlike other teachers, grades for Brother Blood's class were posted publicly. Robin figured it had something to do with pitting students against one another.

Out of all of the classes he was taking, this cone kicked his butt. This whole semester they studied theories, primarily how to identify enemy weaknesses, especially if the hero was clearly overpowered.

Slade had a weakness. There was no doubt about that. And even though Robin didn't want to learn anything here, Blood had a few things to say about identifying weaknesses that Robin begrudgingly learned. Right now, by himself, Robin couldn't defeat Slade. Because he was so wrapped up in the whole blackmail thing, Robin couldn't think clearly. Emotionally detaching himself from the situation was impossible, and until Robin got his temper under control then he wouldn't be able to figure Slade out.

A terrified wail drifted from the front of the group. Heads turned and students pressed all around him to see what the problem was. Robin peered at the chart on the wall. Cold sweat ran down his back as he read the chart, scanning it a second time just to be certain.

Everyone had failed Blood's midterm.

 _Holy crap._

Nervous chatter broke out amongst them. Robin stared at the chart for a moment. Something washed over him, a feeling he could not quite explain. Every instinct screamed that he should be panicking, that Slade was going to go berserk once he found out, but nothing raged inside him. In the span for several milliseconds a plan formed in his mind. Spinning around, he shoved his classmates away.

Several clones appeared in front of him, all of them grinning down at him. Two of them placed their hands on their hips and shook their heads.

"Hey Billy," one of them said, turning towards the clone on his left, "What do you reckon old man Deathstroke's gonna do when he finds out?"

"Well, I dunno, Billy," the clone said. "Mebbe bird boy—"

Robin pushed his way past them, ignoring their chorus of laughter. Shoulders hunched, gaze forward, fists clenched, he stomped down the hallway with determination. As always, several students laughed as he walked by. He didn't stop until he reached the end of the hallway in front of the glass case that held a fire extinguisher. He brought his fist back and punched through the glass.

An alarm blared through the hallway, and a red light flashed above him. Robin wrestled the fire extinguisher from its cube and tucked it underneath his arm. Ignoring everyone—including a teacher that yelled something incomprehensible at him—he strode forward, collecting curious students as he did so.

Students jumped aside as guards swarmed the hallway. One of them turned off the fire alarm, though they made no move to hurt him. People followed him, some drifting out of their classes as their teachers yelled. As he walked along the hallways he punched through the glass of every fire extinguisher he passed by.

He looked up at the ceiling, picking out the vent he wanted before dumping the fire extinguishers onto the floor. Some of his classmates floated to his side.

"Uh, you ok, man?" Stone asked in a lowered voice.

"I'm fine." Robin looked around at everyone. "Totally fine."

He jumped up and kicked through the air vent. Once inside, he stuck a hand out. "Throw 'em up."

"You're going to get in trouble!" Jinx called out.

Robin stuck his head out. A sea of students and HIVE academy guards stood below him. Hm. "Not like I'm in enough trouble already. Come on, let's go!"

Stone threw a fire extinguisher up to him. From this angle Robin could see the faces beneath the hooded guards, who said and did nothing. Their reactions confirmed his theory: no one would bother him until he completed his task. This was too obvious for an escape attempt, and they knew it.

He crawled through the vents and dragged the fire extinguishers behind him. Metal banged against metal as he arranged them neatly in the vents, occasionally pressing his ear against the walls to be sure that he was in the right spot. Once they were in place, he scooted around, making sure to close certain vents. Once finished, he found his way out, kicking open another grate to free himself.

Distant footsteps told him that he had crawled away from the crowd, but they would find him soon. Robin shook his hair free of dust and opened the door in front of him. Students turned in their seats. Professor Hyacinth, finger outstretched as if in the middle of a patronizing lecture, froze.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Oh sure you can." Robin cracked his knuckles. "Let's talk."

"Students," Professor Hyacinth said. "You are dismissed. However, stay if you would like to learn."

Students grabbed their things and left the room, though some lingered near the door to watch. Robin leaned over and shut the door. This was just between the two of them. Heat crackled through the air, causing Robin to see her through a slight shimmering haze.

"You really want another round?" Hyacinth asked, smoke furling from her nostrils.

"Another? I don't think we had a first."

Seconds sizzled by, and the flames grew hotter and larger before she fired. Soon the air became thick and difficult to breathe, and sweat beaded on his forehead. Her shots were short, meant to draw him close to her. Was she allowed to hurt him?

"Come on!" Robin shouted, breathing heavily in the heavy air. "Is that the best you can do?"

He dodged another one of her attacks, noting how she controlled the flames, and kept backing up towards the door. His eyelids became droopy, and he knew that he didn't have much time before he passed out from lack of oxygen. She approached him, fire sparkling at her fingertips.

"You're stupider than I thought," she said, slowly approaching him. "You have no powers. No way to defend yourself."

"Well, lady," Robin said, struggling to speak, "you don't know me."

Robin reached behind him and opened the door. Cool air rushed in, and the room ignited.

Papers burst into flame, and the computer on the teacher's desk spluttered sparks. Robin dropped to the floor as the fireballs in Hyacinth's fists barreled out of control. Fire blasted through the ceiling. Foam showered down, blanketing the classroom like snow. She blinked slowly and wiped away foam from her face.

"Why you little—"

"Do you really want to finish that sentence?" He ducked as she threw one last fireball at him. This time it hit the fire alarm.

Water cascaded onto them, washing away the flames from the burning desks. Mascara dribbled down Hyacinth's face as she turned towards Robin, her mouth set in a thin line.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Robin said, "I checked the fire alarm and saw that it was turned off in here. Thought I ought to fix that."

She slipped on the foam just as Robin used it to slide quickly across the floor, swerving his body to avoid her punches. Using his momentum, he bent down and swept her off her feet.

 _She's used to long-range attacks,_ he thought. _Not so good at hand-to-hand combat._

Not that Hyacinth was _terrible_ at hand-to-hand combat, but it was clear that she relied too much on her powers. Teaching all the time instead of fighting made her soft, so she made up for it by patronizing her students.

The fight lasted only a few seconds, as most fights did.

In just a few moves he managed to knock her off her feet, but he didn't let her fall to the floor. He grabbed her by the shoulders, marveling at the fact she wasn't much taller than he was. "The nanobots don't control me," Robin said. "They _drive_ me."

He dropped her onto the floor. She pushed herself to her elbows and glared at him, half-admiration and half-rage. "I underestimated you."

"Good. I prefer low expectations these days."

People crowded around the doorway, examining the extensive damage done to the classroom. Water spluttered from the nozzles, and a few seconds later they stopped altogether. Someone began to clap.

"Nicely done." Brother Blood stepped into the classroom. "Students, take note: Robin is the only one who passed the midterm. I expect to see the rest of you after school—you'll need to retake it."

Angry muttering exploded amongst them, though they dispersed.

"I'll see that you're taken care of, Professor," Blood said.

"I want to see him disciplined—" she snapped.

"You allowed yourself to be caught off guard by a student. Perhaps it is _you_ who needs to be disciplined."

Hyacinth said nothing. She pushed herself to her feet and limped away, leaving Robin and Blood in the wreck of a classroom.

"Were the theatrics necessary?" Brother Blood asked. "You were lucky I called off the guards in time."

"Certainly caught your attention."

"Indeed. Excellent practical application of the theories we've been studying this semester. I'm pleased that you took the initiative to apply them to the midterm—as your classmates should have done. Technically, you should have applied the theories to another student instead of faculty—"

"You and I both know that there's no point in attacking my classmates. Be glad I didn't use your own theories against _you."_

Brother Blood smiled. "Take the afternoon off—you'll be cleaning up this mess."

"Fine with me."

"Good. Well, one thing's for certain," Blood said. "It'll be difficult to top that next semester."

"If I'm here."

"I'm certain you will be. And if not—" Blood turned away to leave. "Then I'll make sure you are."

Robin shut his eyes and hoped that he wasn't under mind control. But as he swept and cleaned the classroom, he found time passing along normally. For now he was himself, but for how long? Whatever Cyborg was planning, the Titans had better act fast.

* * *

 **A/N: Not sure when the next update will happen, but it will happen.**

 **In the meantime, I've been quietly updating my Ao3 account. Part of this is because I keep forgetting that I have an account, but the most important reason is because I'm updating the fic fanart list there. As far as I can tell FF no longer supports links to outside websites, so I've been using Ao3 to update the fanart list. Since I've received a lot of PMs complaining about the broken links on my profile page, I feel that this is the best option! While reading you can view fanart others have done for the chapters, which I think is pretty cool!**

 **Slowly, I'm embedding fanart that you awesome folks have done over the years for me. Fanart is linked with the relevant fics with permission from the artist. Currently, only Northern Star has chapter images attached to the chapters they illustrate, but I'll be updating other fics with relevant fanart.**

 **As I haven't yet contacted every artist, and some works have been put in storage/removed, not everything is up. If you are one of the readers who have created fanart for any fanfic of mine, and would like me to link to it on Ao3 please** **contact me via fanmail/submitted posts on my tumblr.** **All credit will be given to the artist and linked back to the preferred website/portfolio page.**

 **In the meantime, I'll be away from the Internet for a week, but please leave a review! All reviews make my day, and they have been especially helpful during this difficult time.**


	12. Chapter 12: Weekend Blues

**A/N: Hello, Again!  
**

 **Before we get started, I just want to tell you all to please check out a cool Facebook profile for Stone by blueelephant333, which was posted on tumblr! I'll be adding this image to the Ao3 version of this story, but you can view it on tumblr! I'll reblog it so it's at the top of my profile.  
**

 **And now: the fic. I'm excited to get into this part! Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Chapter 12: Weekend Blues

With a mission underway, Starfire did not feel like watching a movie of the week, or even a documentary about one of Earth's delightful processed food. Instead, she made everyone sit around the kitchen table, standing at one end with her hands on her hips.

"I cannot stay here at the Tower any longer," Starfire said.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"If Cyborg can infiltrate the school, then why can we not?"

It frustrated her that months had passed, and yet there seemed to be no perceptible change in the situation. If anything, it seemed as though Cyborg and Robin were enjoying their time at the HIVE Academy instead of attempting to figure out an escape plan. That would not do.

"Beast Boy can't go because he's green. Everyone would recognize him," Raven replied, pointing at him. "And everyone would know who we are. We don't wear masks."

"I so would if I could," Beast Boy said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"For how long can we be cautious?" Starfire asked. "We know about the nanobotic technology. We know Robin's schedule. We must plan a simultaneous attack."

Perhaps Cyborg felt that he could not attack in such a delicate situation. Or perhaps he was enjoying his time at the Academy far too much, or maybe Robin advised him not to act. Whatever the reason, this situation was not acceptable.

"Go on," Raven said.

"It is clear that Robin cannot defeat Slade on his own," Starfire said. "But he may be reluctant to attack Slade, even if we are with him, for fear that Slade will activate the nanobots. Likewise, it is clear that we cannot fight him. Not enough to disable him, simply because he is our friend. Before we infiltrated the HIVE Academy we did not know where Robin was or his state of well-being. But now we understand that there are large blocks of time where he is away from Slade, and Cyborg can assess him." Starfire grew excited. "We must attack Slade and rescue Robin at the same time, while Robin is at the HIVE Academy."

"Assuming that Slade is still at his hideout while Robin is in school," Raven said. "And not surrounded by his robot army."

"We must rescue him when the HIVE's security is not as active," Starfire said. "When Slade does not expect to be attacked."

"Uh…ladies. I have an idea." Starfire and Raven turned to look at Beast Boy, who grinned widely. He pointed at his communicator, which was tuned into Stone's Facebook profile page. "Do not underestimate the power of Facebook."

"What are you talking about?" Raven demanded.

"Look at this," Beast Boy said, scrolling to Cyborg's news feed. "He's been invited to an upcoming event. I'm gonna accept."

He punched the phone screen.

"Give me that." Raven snatched communicator away from him and looked at the screen. "Homecoming dance. Invited by Jinx, of all people."

"And students are allowed to bring _outside guests."_ Beast Boy's grin grew even wider. "Perfect time to crash their party."

"Robin's not going to be there."

"How do we know that?"

"Robin's not there to go to school. You know that. He's there the same reason we are: infiltrating. So why should he attend an extraneous event?"

"We shall attend the Homecoming!" Starfire declared.

"No," Raven said flatly.

"Yes, we shall!"

"Robin's not going to be there."

"Unless Cyborg can make it happen." Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "Because he's going. He and Star can be Robbie's bodyguard."

"Can't we at least talk about this with Cyborg first?" Raven looked annoyed. "He knows what's going on better than we do. Besides, it might get Robin in trouble—"

"Nope, we're doing it!" Beast Boy leapt off his chair and whooped.

"I shall attend the Coming of the Home!" Starfire exclaimed.

"I'm not going." Raven crossed her arms over her chest. "Convince me that this is a good idea."

Beast Boy screwed up his eyes, rubbing his chin as he thought. Then a smile crossed his face. "I got something that'll knock your socks off, and you're gonna like it. Star, get ready: we're gonna be bad guys."

"Excellent!" Starfire exclaimed. "I shall make the preparations!"

Starfire whizzed up to her room, her heart pumping madly. This could work. If Cyborg could make Robin attend the coming of the home, then that would give the Titans an opportunity to rescue him. She understood that there was no reason for Robin to be there. So they would have to create a compelling-enough reason for Robin to attend, and they would have to do it right away. Tonight, if possible.

Hmm. Perhaps she would have to go to the mall of shopping. Or, she could borrow the clothes Blackfire left here during her last visit…

* * *

Friday nights at the dorms were always colorful. Aside from the kids spending their time making mischief (well, what else could you expect from a villainous high school?) it was like being back in the Tower. He couldn't afford to go back to the Tower every night, as that would raise suspicions. Besides, HIVE students were just too much fun on a Friday night.

Cyborg provided the Titans with access to Stone's social media profiles, so anytime he uploaded anything or was tagged by his classmates they saw. Awfully convenient. The next step was to trick Robin into setting up a profile. At least then he would have a way to contact the Titans if something went wrong.

Cyborg, Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo sat in the common room right after dinner. Some of the other kids changed out of their costumes and looked more relaxed now that midterms were over. Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo lounged on the couch, conspiring.

"So glad midterms are over," Stone said, opening a can of soda. "Didn't think I would have to study _that_ hard to keep up." That wasn't quite a lie. Since his goal was to get Robin out, Cyborg didn't have the time to study in between plotting an escape plan. "So, has Blood always been like that?"

"Like what?" Jinx replied.

"Failed everyone during midterms?"

"Best kept secret in the school. Kicks out most kids from that class if they don't figure it out."

"Gotta admit," Mammoth said, shoving an entire chicken leg into his mouth, "haven't seen a kid do one that impressive in a long time."

"What's his criteria?" Stone asked.

"Well, if it's anything like his class when I was a freshman, then the first semester focuses on targeting an opponent's weakness. Now that everyone knows Robin passed there'll be a lot of copycats," Jinx said, holding up a finger. "But we'll have to be on our guard…Blood wants them to attack other students and provide proof. There is no time limit, no spoken direction that this should be done to pass the midterm, but the automatic F's are supposed to wake you up."

"So…what, am I expected to kill someone at the end of the year?"

"Not quite."

"Well, what Robin did was pretty cool. I want to give him a communicator," Stone said.

" _What?!"_ Gizmo shot out of his seat. "We're not giving him a communicator."

"I'd like the opportunity to work for Slade myself," Stone said. "Pretty sure that I won't be able to ask him for a job myself."

"If he passed Brother Blood's midterm, then he's no do-gooder," Jinx said, shrugging.

"Now don't you start," Gizmo snapped, turning to her. "We can't just _let_ him have a communicator! He's not one of us!"

"Why not?"

"He needs to prove that he's one of us," Gizmo said. "Whatever Slade says, I don't believe that Robin's turned."

Cyborg thought of Red X.

"Robin, Robin, Robin, I'm bored of talking about Robin," Mammoth said. "Let's hit downtown Jump."

Once he got their full trust, then Cyborg could go ahead with his plan. His communicator—the one on his arm—vibrated slightly. He looked away to read the text message.

" _Get home soon. We have a plan."_

"So, are you coming, Stone?"

"Totally!" Cyborg turned his hologram back on and stuck his hand behind his back. "Ready to rock and roll whenever you are!"

 _Will I be able to betray them after this?_ He thought.

Would either of them be able to fight one another once this was all over? He didn't know, and right now that wasn't important. They were smart kids—well, most of them. They'd understand that he did this to save Robin—it wasn't really about them.

Hopefully, hopefully.

* * *

Beleaguered by the midterms fallout, and of Slade's annoying interest in his academic life, Robin did not look forward to the weekend. Friday nights were nothing but exhausting, and sleeping in on Saturday mornings? Well, forget that.

Though exhausted for the better part of his day, Robin didn't let his guard down and let Slade know, if he could. So when they sat down to eat and discuss the week's events, it took the better part of his self-control to stay awake. He poked at his food, wondering how long it would take for Slade to get annoyed.

"I heard what happened with Professor Hyacinth," Slade said.

"Oh, did you, now?"

"Well, at least this school is teaching you something."

"What do you mean by that?" Robin demanded.

"As much as Brother Blood annoys me, he understands how to train his students to think like villains."

Slade laughed, a deep rumbling laugh that mocked him.

"Not like I had a choice," Robin said between clenched teeth. "Failure isn't an option for you."

"Accept it: you enjoyed winning." Slade leaned in close. "It's a trait we both sure, you know."

"As if it's difficult to beat them," Robin replied. "They teach all the kids the same attack patterns. It varies depending on their powers, but it's the same. They're predictable."

"And why is that?"

"Because they've standardized the curriculum."

"But?"

"Power in numbers is still a dangerous thing."

"Tell me: do the students trust you yet?"

"Grudgingly."

"The more they trust you the less likely they will attack you when it comes down to taking down Blood. Seems like you need to make more of an effort, so let's work at it. Let's a have a little fun this weekend, shall we?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Whatever it is, I already hate it."

"I didn't say anything."

"You know I'll hate it."

"Well," Slade said, turning back to him, "why don't you hear me out?"

Slade tossed something at him, and Robin caught it: the Red X belt.

"It's actually quite a good design," Slade said. "Though it could use some fine-tuning. Once I have finished training you, would you be interested in using this identity?"

"Isn't it a little too soon to ask?"

"Perhaps. I have need of your alternative persona, so suit up. We're going to cause a little mayhem."

Cyborg tried to keep his distance as the HIVE kids robbed a jewelry store. Though he wanted nothing to do with the robbery, he kept watch as the others rummaged through the store. Exclamations of delight came from Jinx as she found something. Cyborg stood there, hands over his chest, still until something caught his eye.

He blinked. A dark shape flitted through the air, the ragged cape strangely familiar. "I know you're out there."

"Gotta catch me first." The shape materialized behind Cyborg inside the store. "Dummy."

Cyborg turned slowed. Red X.

"Who're you?" Gizmo demanded.

"Does that matter?" Red X asked.

Now that Cyborg knew it was Robin, he could hear how the mask distorted the voice. Why would Slade have Robin use the Red X persona? Wasn't the whole point to scare people into remembering that he was Slade's apprentice?

If this was Robin, then the only way Red X could take him down was through mechanics. Robin could pinpoint everyone's weakness, but for Stone? How would he use those powers? If Robin didn't attack him, then the game would be up.

"What are you kids up to?" Rex X asked. "Nothing too dramatic, I hope."

"What's it to you?" Jinx demanded.

"Just curious, that's all."

Red X disappeared and reappeared next to Jinx. He snatched the jewel from Jinx's hand. "Nice."

"Get him!" Jinx shouted.

Outside of school they had no reason to hold back. And this time, Robin would have weapons. A large "X" spun through the air and wrapped itself around Jinx's wrists. Her eyes glowed pink with rage. A shockwave of power shook the floor, though Red X stepped nimbly out of its way.

"You're going down, cakesniffer!" Gizmo shouted.

Red X vanished and reappeared behind Gizmo to grab his backpack.

"Nice tech," Red X said, shaking Gizmo free. "I think I'll take it."

"Hey!" Cyborg yelled. "You mess with them, then you mess with me first."

Red X halted. Cyborg held up a hand to Mammoth, who was getting ready to slam into Red X. "I've dealt with this guy before, Mammoth. Let me handle him."

Red X and Stone began to circle one another, though his movements were not quite as fluid. Cyborg didn't know how to proceed. How could they fake a fight? As far as Cyborg knew, Stone had no weakness. He hadn't talked about it with the other students or teachers, and he hadn't thought to think of a weakness for his new persona. Would Red X just make one up, assuming that Robin wore the mask?

"Heh." Red X moved, feinting to the left. Cyborg lunged, bringing his fists together to turn his hologram to stone. "Don't think so, buddy."

Thank god. Red X shot two fast X's at Cyborg, aiming for his fists. He kicked Cyborg upside the chin, strong enough to knock Cyborg off his feet, and pinned his wrists to the ground with his X's. With a roar Mammoth sped towards him, though Red X sighed. He waited for Mammoth to get close, knocked his feet out from under him, and shot several X's to mobilize him.

"Let's get out of here," Jinx said.

"What? Giving up so soon?" Red X tossed the jewel—which sparkled in the moonlight—and caught it. "Come on, kids: catch me if you can."

Jinx threw out both of her hands and freed herself, sending out shockwaves of pink power at him. Red X leapt into the air and disappeared. They waited a few minutes, tensing all the while, but soon it became clear that Red X wasn't going to come back.

"What a jerk!" Jinx snapped.

"Titans," Cyborg whispered into his communicator, "check the Tower. I think Robin—or Slade— dropped in."

* * *

After Jinx, Mammoth, Gizmo and Cyborg grew tired and headed back to the dorms, Robin continued traveling towards another part of the bay. Clouds rolled in, distorting his view and setting him in a chill.

Since the semester began, Robin hadn't had the time for Slade's missions, though he suspected that Slade used the time to devise some nefarious scheme to destroy the city. Made sense that he would do it when Robin wasn't at the Haunt. Too many odd things were happening for him to process properly. Robin at the HIVE. Brother Blood successfully getting him under mind control. Cyborg undercover as Stone. This mix was bound to boil over soon into something messy, something beyond his control once everyone realized who Cyborg was.

He dropped into the building through the ceiling, like he always did, startling the scientist below.

"You again?" Professor Chang asked.

Robin pulled off the Red X mask, leaving behind only the domino mask on his face. "You know why I'm here."

"I see you've been putting my xinothium to good use. Do you want more? My supply is running low, so the price has doubled."

"That's no problem."

"Oh, but you see, it is a problem because last time I sold you Deathstroke's supply, and he's not happy."

"Oh don't I know." Robin reached into his utility belt and pulled out a Slade insignia. "Because I'm here on his behalf."

Chang studied him closely, his eyes squinting. "Been a bad little boy, haven't we?"

"You could say that."

"Fine. If you're working for Deathstroke, then I'll give you the same amount for $50,000."

 _"Negotiate a better price,"_ Slade said.

"We keep the same price as before," Robin said. "How about we sweeten the deal?"

He tossed Chang the jewel he stole earlier that evening.

"Pretty things don't interest me," Chang said, throwing it back at him. "Besides, that's not nearly enough to cover the cost of what you want. How much does your boss get per hit? A few million? More than enough to buy a vial of xinothium."

 _"Great job,"_ Slade said dryly, "threaten him."

"If you're so insistent about the price, then you'll leave me no choice but to take it from you."

"I am the only supplier in town. You'd have to go outside the city for a better deal, but even then…" Chang smirked. "Good luck finding some without harvesting it yourself."

"Just because you're the only supplier in town doesn't mean that we trust you!" Robin snapped.

"Listen, boy, you may have gotten xinothoium from me once, but don't believe that it will happen again unless you pay the proper price."

"I said: _threaten him_."

Robin grabbed Chang and slammed him against the wall, one of his hands hooking around the tube that snaked up Chang's nose.

"I suspect you need that, don't you?" Robin asked.

"Don't you dare—"

Robin yanked the tube free. Chang collapsed, held up only by Robin's arms, gasping for breath. A few seconds later Robin let go of him. The villain slumped to the floor, his hands struggling to reattach the tube.

"I'll kill you for that, boy."

"I'd like to see you try."

 _"You can kill him, you know,"_ Slade said. _"It would make things easier."_

Without waiting for Chang to respond, Robin walked over to his workstation, where the vials resided.

"I gave you a choice, Professor Chang," Robin said. "We were perfectly willing to pay."

 _"No, we weren't."_

"If you cause me any trouble, then I'll bring Deathstroke."

What a lie. Slade wouldn't bother stealing anymore xinothium. Why would he worry about petty theft when he had Robin to do it?

"Besides," Chang said, wiping spittle from his gaunt cheek, "you haven't asked me why my price is so high."

"Because you're a crook—"

"Because Deathstroke's next shipment of xinothium has _already been stolen."_

Robin paused and so, apparently, did Slade. "Come again?"

"You heard me: someone beat you to it, and now I've lost revenue."

"Who?"

"I don't know—some girl with an accent. Stole it all an hour ago. Guess you're slipping up."

 _"Find out who,"_ Slade said.

"Do you have security cameras?" Robin asked.

"Why would I let you have access to that?" Chang snapped.

Robin fired at Professor Chang, a giant red x pinning him to the wall. He walked into Chang's office, where several computer screens blinked at him through the darkness.

Understanding what Slade wanted—even if it was just supplies for whatever nefarious plan—helped Robin plan. If he wanted xinothium, then he was building something that required the dangerous chemical. Perhaps Slade was building some device that would allow him to defend himself against Brother Blood. That was the most logical thing he could think of.

A girl dressed in a black and purple outfit leapt down through the hole in the roof, landing on top of Chang's machinery and running quickly down. Her long red hair trailed behind her, though her face was covered with a mask. Haha, if he wasn't so sleep-depreived he would have thought that it was…

 _Starfire._

"Bring them to me," Slade said. "We'll analyze them."

"Understood, sir."

Well, crap. This wasn't going to go well.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **News!**

 **I want weekly updates for this fic, but because I just quit my full-time job and am working part-time to help my family get through these tough times that's not quite possible. Monthly updates will be the norm from now on until further notice.**

 **That's all for now. Read and review!  
**


	13. Chapter 13: Facebook Official

**A/N: Hi All! Thanks for waiting for an update.**

* * *

Chapter 13: Facebook Official

What the hell was Starfire up to?

Robin understood now why Slade had him go out as Red X. He didn't want Professor Chang to know the real reason why he wanted the xinothium—he would have Chang believe that they wanted the xinothium to charge the suit. No, that wasn't it. Slade was always thinking ten steps ahead, and if Robin wished to defeat him then he'd have to start thinking the same way.

After downloading the security camera footage onto a flashdrive he went back to the Haunt. He took off his mask as he approached Slade, who stood contemplating in front of his giant television screen, contemplating the city at night.

"This is an unforeseen problem," Slade said, not turning around to look at him. "If that girl stole my xinothium, then she'll keep doing it until this city's cleaned out."

Robin held up a hand and, before he could stop himself, fired at Slade. The red "x" slapped against Slade's mask, covering the other eye. Using Slade's temporary blindness, Robin lunged, forcing Slade's arms away so he could attack him.

In the few seconds Robin had left his gaze from Slade's face, the mercenary had acted. His mask slid across the floor. Looking up, surprised, Robin missed his next punch as he gazed at Slade's unmasked face.

 _He discarded it to keep fighting!_

Slade's hand became a blur as he lunged forward, Robin barely bringing his arms up fast enough to block his blow.

"When I said let's cause a little mayhem, this isn't quite what I had in mind," Slade said.

Robin didn't have much xinothium to use, but he had enough. Whatever plan Starfire had in mind, he wasn't going to let her put herself in danger for him. Cyborg at the Academy was dangerous enough already. There was no need for all of the Titans to do it.

For a few seconds they stared at one another. He wasn't quite sure how he imagined Slade to look like, but the eye patch didn't surprise him. After a moment Slade began walking away.

"Come on, fight me!"

"No." Slade gazed over his shoulder at him, his one eye steady and calculating.

Robin fizzled out of existence as Slade swung a fist at him. Instead of facing Slade, he raced back towards the room he found before, with the orb Slade forbade him to look at. If he raced fast enough, then he'd be able to deactivate before Slade could realize what he was doing. He wished his boots didn't pound so loudly against the floor.

Part of him was aware that this was an ill-conceived escape attempt, but who cared? Thanks to Brother Blood, he knew where the location of the nanobots central control was.

If he could float through walls, then he would, but the suit had its limitations. He just had to keep going, because if he stopped he'd get caught.

There it was! He dashed towards the orb. All he needed to do was disable the device before Slade could activate the probes. Whatever happened after—it didn't matter. Something sizzled as he neared the orb, causing him to glance down in surprise. He wasn't invisible anymore.

 _What?_

His belt was pretty well powered. It shouldn't have short-circuited like that!

"You know, one thing about using xinothium to power that suit: it's a little unstable."

Slade appeared in the doorway, leaving casually against the doorframe as he looked at Robin. Was he able to track him despite his temporary invisibility? Well, the suit couldn't hide his heat signature.

Slade was right. Of course he was.

"You'd risk your friends' lives on the hunch that the nanoscopic probes are powered by xinothium." He looked at Robin, who said nothing. "I didn't expect you to take such a risk. Give me your belt."

Robin wanted to use the suit until it ran out of xinothium. But could he risk it? When the suit short-circuited he lost the element of surprise. There was no point trying to do anything—not now, at least.

Sighing, Robin gave the belt back to Slade.

"By the way," Slade said. "You're wrong about the nanobots. They aren't powered by xinothium."

Every day Robin aimed to achieve some sort of victory—every day he survived and the Titans survived was a victory, in a sense. Slade didn't have to tell him that—it was a challenge. Do something stupid, Robin, he seemed to say. I dare you.

"Makes sense," Robin said. "I guess."

Could he believe Slade?

"You're only to use the Red X persona when I deem it necessary," Slade said.

Something about their fight unnerved Robin. Although few blows were exchanged, something about its nature told him that this was different. After hiding his identity for so long, Slade threw aside his mask when he could no longer see. Robin's hunch that Slade would do anything to protect his identity proved false.

 _When it proved detrimental he just threw it away,_ Robin thought. _He's done it before in a real fight._

No more assumptions. Robin only assumed because unless he was in real danger, then he would never discard his mask. Robin wearing the Red X suit made a difference, though he had yet to learn how to use the suit to its fullest potential.

"However," Slade said coldly, "I do not appreciate your attack, or your attempt to disable the probes. I'll run you so ragged that you won't even have the time to try again. Find the thief and bring her to me, and then we'll talk about trust again."

Robin breathed a little. Slade wasn't going to hit him, but that might mean he had some other unpleasantness in mind. "Understood, sir."

What was Starfire planning? Sooner or later Slade was gonna find out that their xinothium thief was her, and then what? If Robin recognized her, then Slade would. What were they planning? Would they join Cyborg as a HIVE student? No, that didn't seem to be it.

* * *

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Cyborg threw up his hands. "You _stole_ Slade's xinothium from Professor Chang?"

"Yup, had that info from Robin's notes," Beast Boy said. "Took a while to find it though…"

"And now we're on Slade's radar. Not like we need it anymore—"

"This is the plan," Starfire said, raising her voice. "We rescue Robin during this coming of home—"

"Homecoming."

"Yes. And I, the xinothium thief, will be there."

"Yeah, we already told Jinx you were going," Beast Boy said, pointing to Cyborg's HIVE communicator. "With a plus one."

"Students are allowed to bring outside guests," Starfire said. "So you will invite my villainous persona, and we will leak information that I am the thief. That will force Robin to attend the Homecoming, assuming that Slade is looking for me. Together we will help Robin escape from the HIVE Academy."

"Meanwhile," Beast Boy said, "Raven and I will go to Slade and distract him. If he tries to get Robin to come back to help, then Robin can use Starfire as an excuse. Tell him that he's too busy fighting the xinothium thief."

"And the nanobots?" Cyborg asked.

"Well, we have a month before Homecoming. You and Robin figure out how to get 'em. Robin probably knows how Slade activates them."

Cyborg grimaced. They _should_ have consulted with him before they made any kind of move. Now that Slade knew, the Titans put Robin in an awkward position. If he knew Robin as well as he thought, then Robin would have tried to sabotage the nanobots multiple times. Who knew if he just tried to do it?

"Just be careful." Cyborg sighed. "I'll talk to him this week."

Yeah, this was going to go _real_ well.

* * *

"Are you _insane?"_ Robin hissed in a low voice. "They should've let me know first—"

They sat across from each other in the cafeteria, hissing at one another over their lunch trays. Paranoid that he somehow had a microphone on him, Robin refused to talk the next morning until Cyborg finally forced him to talk over lunch.

"Ok, look, as hasty as they were they gotta point, man: if we don't set a deadline then it's not gonna happen. And even then that's not guaranteed." Cyborg leaned in closer. "You're here to infiltrate the HIVE for Slade, aren't you?"

Robin said nothing.

"That's what we thought. Then we don't have a lot of time. This plan can't work without you, so you're going to have to convince him that the xinothium thief is here."

Robin leaned back in his chair and groaned. "Why did you have to pick the ONE school function that Slade is least likely to let me go to?"

"Because it's the only time outsiders can come to the school."

"I don't think it's going to work. There are too many factors, too many things that can go wrong."

Cyborg opened up his HIVE communicator and began typing.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a scene." Cyborg typed something, and then closed the communicator.

A minute later someone yelled. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CAR ANYMORE?!"

"Watch and learn, bird-boy."

Students swarmed around them, chattering animatedly with one another.

"Hey, hey, Stone," Billy Numerous said. "This gal don't attend the HIVE. When did _you_ have time to date?"

"Well," Stone said, shrugging. "We've been dating for a while, but we decided to wait to be 'Facebook official.' You know how it is."

"Who is she?" Mammoth asked, leaning over Cyborg's shoulder to look at the picture.

"Her name's Koriand'r. The Terrible." Cyborg puffed up his chest. "It's Facebook official now because I'm inviting her to Homecoming."

Robin took his lunch and went to another table as students crowded around him, wanting to eat his salad in peace.

This stank of bad idea. Besides, Robin didn't _want_ to go to Homecoming anyway, and would have been fine not going as planned. But Cyborg was right: when did they have another chance to make their escape?

 _Raven and Beast Boy can't hold their own against Slade,_ Robin thought. But unlike Robin, Raven and Beast Boy had superpowers, so were automatically at an advantage. Despite himself, Robin found himself dreaming up an escape plan. Problem was that Raven and Beast Boy would have to operate on their own—and the plan couldn't include taking Slade out. They'd have to go in, get rid of the nanobots, and then split like a Sunday Sundae while Robin, Starfire and Cyborg fought their way out of the HIVE. And that wasn't even factoring in the Headmistress and Brother Blood, in addition to the students.

Somehow, Robin would have to prepare an attack route for them before he left for Homecoming. They would need to attack Slade and get the trigger from him, but they risked getting trapped in the Haunt with the Sladebots, if not Slade himself. They didn't know it as well.

And, of course, there was Robin's part: making sure that Slade suspected nothing, as well as the HIVE. He'd have to push his boundaries, test them. After this last ill-conceived attempt to retake the nanobots, Slade was sure to have moved the device controlling the nanobots.

He looked back at the table, where Stone laughed with his classmates. If Robin went to Homecoming, then news would spread quickly. This wouldn't be easy. Well, thanks a lot, guys.

 _I need to ask someone to go with me,_ he thought. _Or else it'd look weird._ Well, if they had thought of this sooner, then he would have been able to go with Starfire. Not that it mattered. A lot. No, not really.

* * *

Although she didn't attend any questions and worked only as a teaching assistant for Blood, Jinx found her time crunched at the HIVE.

Every so often during her day her mind wandered back to Robin. He was the most interesting thing to happen to this school in a long time. Like, who knew that a Titan would study here?!

She graded his quizzes, though it felt weird. The only other context she had was when she fought him, so it was weird to see his answers on a quiz she once took. When he wasn't angry he could be quite pleasant. A true villain? Maybe. If Slade and the HIVE together could turn him into a bad guy, then that would be pretty cool, if she could say so herself.

But now, as she graded another round of quizzes, she found herself stabbing the papers angrily with her pen. How come Stone never told anyone about his girlfriend?

"Hey, Jinx!"

He stopped in front of her desk. She looked up from her paperwork, her eyes narrowing. "What? Why do you always look like someone punched you?"

" _C'est la vie,"_ Robin replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Hey, I have a favor to ask."

"Hm?"

"I passed Blood's midterm, but he's still failing me." His face grew red. "Please help me with my next paper."

"Huh?"

Jinx looked at him. Robin never spoke out like this, and never asked for help. Not in public like this, at least.

"You? Asking for help? Amazing."

"No, I need help tonight. After school."

"You mean…at Slade's place?" Jinx grew apprehensive. Last time she had been there was when Slade had hired her to take out the Titans. "Will Slade let you?"

"Don't know until I try." Robin waved his report card, which showed his less-than-stellar grades. "Will you come with me? Help out with that next paper?"

"Why tonight?"

"I won't be able to work on homework all this week. Too much stuff going on with Slade, so tonight's the only night I can do it."

"Good luck with that."

"So, will you help me?"

"What's in it for me?"

"The pleasure of my company."

"You're a real charmer."

"Oh, aren't I?" His smile faded. "But seriously, I need help."

Jinx frowned and looked him up and down. It was one thing for her to invite him to school events, but another to go right back to Slade's place. Then again, maybe Stone was right: if Robin ended up becoming Slade's partner for real, then it would be good to be friends with him now. Then, when the time was right, she could get in with the real crowd, like maybe the Brotherhood of Evil. That would be so cool.

"Ok," she said, pointing her pen at him, "I'll help you…on one condition."

"Hm?"

"You get me on Slade's good side."

"I'll do my best," Robin replied, shrugging. "Maybe you'll have better luck, 'cause I'm not on his good side either. Maybe we could help each other out."

"Maybe."

Well, this would be a good opportunity to learn more about Slade. Learn from a real villain, if she could.

* * *

"Did you know that we ran across another villain?" Jinx said. "We ran into him over the weekend. Calls himself, 'Red X'. You know him?"

"Oh yeah, I know him." Robin raised a knowing finger. "In fact, he was me!"

"Yeah right, bird boy." She leaned her on chin as she looked up at the Haunt. Her eyes traveled to the giant television screens across one wall. Last time she was here Slade had videos of the Titans playing in the background. Never woulda guessed that Slade's real plan was to separate Robin from the Titans. "You don't have superpowers."

"I don't, but I think you'd be surprised."

They worked on their homework for a little while, though Jinx didn't like the silence in this place. Too strained, as though something bad could happen at any moment.

"You know," Robin said, resting his pencil on the table. "You don't have to do this."

"Do what?"

"Be a villain. You're better than the others."

"What are you trying to do? Get me on your side?" Jinx laughed, though she wasn't quite certain if it was genuine. "You want me to help you with the nanobots?"

Robin didn't respond, though he didn't frown either.

"Besides," Jinx said, "all of my friends go here. We work well together."

"I know a few people you might like."

"I'm not friends with do-gooders!"

"But I'm one."

She eyed him, her lip forming a thin line. "You're different."

"I think you'd be surprised at how complicated people are. I'm not kidding when I said that I am Red X." He jabbed a thumb towards the screens. "I'm not asking for your help. I can deal with Slade on my own."

She didn't appreciate him talking to her about this. Who was he to ask her to rethink her life?!

"You're not a hero so long as you work for Slade!" Jinx said, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. "Or at the HIVE!" She caught herself. No time to get upset. "It's getting late," Jinx said, gathering her books, "I should get going."

Robin got up to follow her, though she ignored him. As she walked out of the Haunt she happened to pass by Slade, who had just come in through the front door. She stopped walking when she saw him.

Man, he was tall. Kinda scary too.

"Robin, what is she doing here?" Slade asked.

"Helping me with a project."

"Hmm. So, he's putting more effort into his schoolwork," Slade said. "Good."

A villain she may be, but didn't want her teacher to be like him. No, thank you! Whoever she worked with, or would work with, she'd prefer to work in a mutual partnership. If she had to deal with the fact that her friends were infected with life-threatening technology, then…no. Though maybe, it was this quality that made Slade a villain far beyond anyone else.

"If he wishes for extra help, then he must confirm it with me first."

"What?" Jinx blurted out. "He didn't ask you first?"

Now she would look like an idiot in front of Slade! Thanks a lot, Robin! She glanced at him, though he said nothing.

"He doesn't think things quite through," Slade replied. "Go home. Your work here is done."

What would happen to Robin? Did he already know that he forgot to ask Slade? Or did he do it on purpose to tick Slade off? She lingered in the entrance way, straining her ears to listen to their conversation. Then she decided that she'd rather not get caught in the crossfire, and left the building.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so glad I get to write more Jinx, I haven't played with her character before. Also, it amuses me greatly to think about the kids on social media (kudos to blueelephant333 for Stone's FB relationship status!).**

 **Not sure when I'll update, but I definitely plan to stick to a more consistent updating schedule now that things have calmed down a bit. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and don't forget to read and review!**


	14. Chapter 14: Selfies

**A/N: First I would like to thank Orion Blue for creating more fanart for this story! I'm always amazed that people read my stuff, especially now since I've been writing fic for so long. Thank you for making a cover for this fic! I keep every single fanart people have made for me. You honestly have no idea how much it helps me keep going.**

* * *

Chapter 14: Selfies

Robin thought a lot about what Cyborg said. The Titans forming a plan to rescue him was more than Robin had done himself. It was time to stop thinking negatively, and time to start thinking strategically. This plan was happening whether he wanted it to or not.

He had one month to plan and act. He couldn't allow fatigue to get in his way. Even though he hated it, Cyborg was right: if they didn't act soon, then they wouldn't act at all.

So, it ended up one night he talked Slade into giving him Internet access. He had no idea how he did it, or what he initially said to start the conversation, but the result was magical.

"What are you doing?" Slade asked, sidling up to Robin's desk.

Robin sat there with his laptop open, clearly trying to figure out the wifi password.

"I just need to use the Internet for a bit," Robin said. "I need to create a Facebook profile."

"Why?"

"That girl who stole our Xinothium? She's going to the HIVE's Homecoming dance with _Stone."_

Here we go. No time to stop now.

"And what does Facebook have anything to do with it?"

"Look, Slade, this is 2016. If there's anything I've learned being at the HIVE, it's the fact that _everyone_ is using social media to boost their status."

"Sounds stupid."

"Maybe it is. Can I have the wifi password? We'll never know if it's stupid unless we try."

Slade studied him for a moment. "Fine. It's 'adeline1979.'"

"Cool. Check it out." Robin had already created his Facebook profile. Now to make it go live. "I can go online and see everyone's information. I'll look through her profile and see if I can find anything."

His empty profile wouldn't be empty once he started adding friends. Would anyone besides Cyborg add him as a friend? Well, he wouldn't know until he found out. Robin clicked on Stone's Facebook page and sent him a friend request.

"And why is this necessary?" Slade asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You told me to make the students trust me," Robin said. "This is what the cool kids do nowadays."

A notification bleeped at him. Stone had accepted the friend request. Immediately Robin accessed Stone's profile page. It looked like the Titans had created a fake profile for Starfire. Pretty extensive too…maybe Beast Boy had uploaded all of those photos.

"I'm going to take a look around and see if I can find out anything about her," Robin said.

Several notifications flurried across his screen. Several students sent him friend requests—Jinx, Mammoth, a girl named Bumblebee—at once. He accepted them, and to his surprise people began tagging him in photos.

"What is this?" Slade asked.

"Social media. It's what all the cool kids do."

"Give me your login information. I'll be monitoring your activity. Don't tag our location."

"Sure thing."

Robin chose one of the photos Jinx tagged him in—when had she taken that picture?—to use as his Facebook profile picture. In most of the photos he was scowling or sat hunched over his desk.

"Well, I need to fill out this profile," Robin said. "I'll give you the login information."

Slade didn't like this at all, but whatever. He had already proved that he could use this to find the xinothium thief. Whatever, he could have fun with this.

 **Work:** Deathstroke's Apprentice

 **Currently Attending:** HIVE Academy

 **Lives In:** Jump City, California

 **From:** Gotham City, NY

Surprisingly, Gizmo sent him a friend request, which Robin accepted. Gizmo immediately posted to his Timeline. "Can't believe you have a freaking profile page, nerfherder."

Robin frowned. "I'm having more fun than you."

Well, he had to make his first status. He navigated to the status bar and typed in: "Yeah, I made a Facebook." Despite himself, Robin smirked. This could be fun.

"Dude!" A chat window popped up at the bottom of his screen. Billy Numerous. "Finally joined up! Are you gonna make a Deathstroke fan page haha?"

"Great idea!" Robin typed back. "That's the real reason why he needed an apprentice: someone to update his social media. Brings in more clients, you know."

Robin laughed to himself as he thought about what Slade's LinkedIn profile must look like. But he was getting ahead of himself.

All of this was idiotic. Beautifully idiotic. As he continued to build his profile, and watched the friend requests come in, he began to believe that they could really pull off this plan.

If Slade wanted to get the HIVE kids to trust him, then ok. Fine. That would work with Robin's plan. But at the back of his mind, he wondered why Slade really let him do it. It was possible that he would be forced to shut it down after he left the HIVE—but wait! That wasn't going to happen.

He sighed. Time to stop messing around on social media, or else Slade would be annoyed that he was wasting his time. He clicked through to Star's profile using Stone's. Would it be strange if he sent her a friend request now? He wasn't supposed to know her, and everyone would see them become friends. Then people would talk.

Gosh darn it! Why couldn't he talk to the Titans again?

* * *

Everyone crowded around the computer as they watched Robin complete his Facebook profile. Holy cow, Slade actually let him do it! Cyborg couldn't believe it!

"He needs a better pic than that!" Beast Boy said. "Take a selfie with him tomorrow!"

Well, now that Slade let him on social media—for _research—_ they could better monitor his activities. It would be stupid not to think that Slade wouldn't be monitoring the profile, so they would have to act carefully.

"Yeah, sure."

"Hey!" Beast Boy turned to look at him. "A thank you, Beast Boy, would be nice. All of this was my ingenious thinking."

Well, he did spur them into action.

"Ok, Star," Cyborg said, turning to her, "Beast Boy is going to keep your profile running. We need to throw Slade off our trail, so we're going to leave a digital trail behind that will lead to the HIVE."

"Man, if this works I gotta start charging," Beast Boy said.

Everything about this would have to be natural. Star was gaining a lot of attention, and many HIVE kids had already requested to be her friend. Because this wasn't a real profile, they had to up the privacy settings so no one would be able to look at her photos. There weren't any.

They had to make it seem like Stone and Koriander the Terrible had been dating a long while. Photos would have to be staged. Clues needed to be strewn about. And Robin had to do a real good job bamboozling Slade.

"Is it not possible to open a video chat on this book of faces?" Starfire asked, floating over his shoulder to look at the computer. "We should speak with him!"

"I doubt Robin can access the webcam. Let's not push it."

"If Robin is going to the Homecoming dance to find Starfire, then he'll have to pretend that's why he's not there," Raven said. "He's going to have to ask someone to go with him."

"I think I know who he's going to ask."

"Who?"

"Jinx."

"Are you kidding me—"

"She's the only one who's been his friend. He's going to ask her."

How would Robin feel about betraying Jinx at the dance? Really, she should know better. Robin was a Titan, and if the opportunity to escape came about then he'd go for it. Jinx should know that by now.

"Ok. Fine. Will she accept?"

"He'll have to ask carefully."

Oh boy. This was gonna be fun.

* * *

Now that Slade allowed him to be on social media, he could carry his communicator around without raising suspicion. Besides, it was too much fun convincing Slade that he needed social media to do it.

It would be stupid to believe that Slade wouldn't be monitoring him. Anything he told anyone either on his communicator or other social media would be watched. He was pretty sure several HIVE staff

"Hey, Jinx!"

She stopped in the middle of the hallway. "What?"

"I need a better profile picture. You want to take one with me?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because it's fun." Before she could say no, Robin ran up to her, slung an arm around her shoulder, and snapped a picture. "See ya!"

A sort of exhilaration ran through him as the day wore on. He had thought that students would shitpost to his Facebook timeline, but most were fine. Any that were trying to troll him weren't anything to worry about. If they had a problem with him then they'd have to answer to him during school hours.

No matter what happened here, this was still high school. At the back of his mind he had always known that, but it hadn't quite occurred to him until now. Probably because he hadn't been treating this place like a high school. These kids were villains, yeah, but they were still kids. And although they watched him warily, they grudgingly respected him since Blood's midterm. Awe, almost, for daring to fight a teacher.

It wasn't just social media pumping him up, though. It was the fact that he had a plan, and so far, it was working. At the back of his mind he knew that he had to be careful. Any sudden change in attitude could be noticed by the st—

"I must say, it's refreshing to see you in a good mood."

Robin's mood plummeted as he turned to look at Brother Blood. Well, well. Speak of the devil.

"They say you've—what the word you kids use nowadays—joined the crowd?"

"Why are so interested, Brother? Do you need help making a Facebook profile?" Robin adjusted the straps of his backpack. "Maybe I should start charging."

"Hardly. However, it is refreshing to not to see you in a bad mood."

"Oh, I'm taking a page from the Joker's book this week," Robin replied. "Beguile you with fun."

"I hope your work continues to improve."

Brother Blood liked his work? Slade didn't think he was making any progress! Or maybe Blood was just trying to goad him.

"You're real good at these pep talks."

"Oh, I like to think that I am." Brother Blood studied at his fingernails. Why they were so fascinating Robin hadn't the faintest idea. "I also see that you're excelling in many of your other classes."

"Doesn't take me too long to finish your quizzes, Brother."

Blood paused. He looked at Robin, and in that moment Robin realized his mistake.

"It seems like you're not being challenged enough," Blood said. "Why don't we move you to another one of my classes?"

"Brother—" Robin paused. What kind of game was Blood playing?

"Do you think this is a game?" Blood asked quietly. "Do you believe me so naïve? I know why you're here."

"No, Brother." Robin had to play this carefully. He had to make sure that Blood wouldn't suspect anything about Homecoming night.

"Well, in any case, I'm glad to see you embracing student life." Blood's eyes glittered dangerously. "I know about Cyborg."

"What are you talking about, Brother?"

"I know the truth about Stone. I've asked you several times for information about Deathstroke, and you haven't complied, so I decided to raise the stakes for you. As I've said before: I'm here to help you. You want your friend back, and so does Cyborg."

"Then why hasn't he said anything?"

"Because he's here to help."

Maybe the Titans could pit Blood and Slade against each other. Wasn't a bad idea if so many lives weren't on the line.

"Our goals aren't so misaligned as you may think," Blood said. "The HIVE has an interest in toppling Slade from power."

"Why?"

"Why do you think?"

Robin stayed silent. Until he understood why Blood was acting this way, then he wasn't going to say anything else.

"I wouldn't say anything to Cyborg if I were you," Blood said, "Because if you do, then I'll inform Deathstroke that a Titan has infiltrated the HIVE." Blood leaned in close. "And I'm certain you don't want that now, do you?"

Robin stood frozen to the floor.

"Unless, of course, you'd prefer to tell Slade yourself."

Should he call off the plan? Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. No, they had to go ahead. His communicator buzzed. Without taking his eyes off of Blood, Robin took out his communicator and glanced briefly at the notification.

"Oh, and by the way," Blood said nonchalantly, "I like to think of myself as a 'cool guy.' Don't forget that the HIVE Academy has an official hashtag: #hiveacademy, and for you #hive2016. And be sure to like the official HIVE Facebook page for job opportunities and student news, and be sure to tag yourself in any photos you appear in."

As Blood walked away Robin started at the friend request from Brother Blood. He accepted the request, tucked away his communicator into his backpack, and continued on his way to class.

* * *

High school mentality was so weird. Robin appeared a totally different person when he came into school the next day. After classes were over he went straight back to Slade's place. Hm. Maybe he had to accept extra training or something so Slade would let him be on social media. In any case, Cyborg found himself back in Blood's office.

"So, Stone," Brother Blood said, "I heard you're going to Homecoming."

"Oh…yeah." Why would Blood be interested in that? "Why not? Sounds like fun."

"Student life is lively here, isn't it?"

"Reason why I crashed into the school."

"Have you been keeping a close eye on our friend Robin?"

"Oh yeah. I mean, the guy doesn't talk much."

"What have you learned?"

Cyborg looked at Blood steadily. As much as Robin had to work to manipulate Slade, Cyborg would have to do his part and keep Blood away. "He's here to infiltrate the HIVE. We know that much."

"Please…sit down."

Cyborg sat down uneasily. He wasn't certain he liked any of this. "What do you want to know, Brother? We already know why he's working for Slade. Isn't that enough?"

"As annoying as Robin may be, he's still makes Deathstroke more powerful."

"Then expel him."

"Oh no, we're not going to expel him. This is the best opportunity we've had to get close to Deathstroke after that disastrous contract. But…I digress."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I asked you to keep an eye on him, and that's all you can tell me?" Brother Blood shook his head. "Perhaps you should take a new approach."

"What do you mean?"

"Robin operates with his new agenda. Whatever Slade's plan is, he'll do what he can to thwart it. The longer Robin continues working with Slade, the more likely it is that he will be turned by him."

"Isn't that what we want?"

"He should join us instead."

Cyborg was reminded of a collector. Unlike the HIVE Headmistress who, despite her nastiness, seemed genuinely interested in teaching the students. Brother Blood, on the other hand, seemed obsessed with collecting students with great potential.

"Why don't you become his friend? You two seem to get along."

"As best we can. He's still a hero, and we can't trust him."

"Indeed."

"Robin won't stop Slade because of his friends."

"I've been working with him, when I can," Blood said. "He has a weakness, which you have so rightly noted: his friends' safety. If we can assist him with the nanobots, then he will be indebted to us."

"And why do you think I should be friends with him?"

"You've never fought him before. He's inclined to trust you more than the others here. Even me."

"So what do you propose?"

"If my theory is correct, Robin is actively looking for a way to deactivate the nanobots. He has refused my accept, but may accept yours. Help him deactivate the nanobots."

Hmm.

There was no way to tell if Brother Blood knew who he was without asking outright. From an outsider's perspective, it made sense that Blood would ask him to do this. Maybe it was a test.

"And afterwards?"

"Like you said: he's a hero. If we help him, whether he wants us to or not, he will be indebted to us. He'll give us a break."

Cyborg thought of Red X. "Are you sure about that?"

"Are you?"

"Once the nanobots are deactivated what are we going to do to stop him from leaving?"

"After defeating Slade, Robin will be of use to us. If he decides not to join us, then he'll be used as a hostage to defeat the Titans."

"You've thought a lot about this, sir."

"That's my job, Mr. Stone."

 _We're in real trouble,_ Cyborg thought.

Maybe this was the real reason why the HIVE allowed Slade to enroll Robin in the school. Through him they could take out two enemies. Though, now, why would the HIVE want to take down Slade? Their students had done business with him.

Something was going on, something bigger than petty school politics. Blood had more ambitious projects on his mind, and the students were just his pawns. Maybe Slade would get in the way of Blood's plan, and maybe the answer to their problem lay in the secrecy of the masterminds' evil plans.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Slowly but surely everything is becoming ridiculous.**

 **A couple of things:**

 **-I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo! I thought I wouldn't be able to this year, but I'll be writing a superhero comedy about a superhero who retires to write a food memoir. I'm actively taking recipe suggestions, as I think this would be a fun story to post online, so head on over to tumblr to submit your ideas! And if you're participating be sure to add me as a writing buddy.  
**

 **-I also want to increase my writing output, so I'm hoping to produce original monthly short stories. September's story has been posted to my website. I'm writing a horror story for Halloween!**

 **Next update: November.**

 **Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!**


	15. Chapter 15: Catching Up

**A/N: Updates will continue to be slow, as I'm now fully self-employed and am super busy! Thanks so much for your patience as I slog my way through the holiday season. Please enjoy this update!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Catching Up**

Kids these days.

Slade studied the files Robin had prepared for him regarding each and every student and faculty member he was in contact with. While things hadn't gone _exactly_ as planned (kids could be unpredictable these days) Robin still turned in valuable information.

This weekend was quieter than most. Slade didn't want to admit that he was tired—how could he be—but while his body was ready to fight at a moment's notice, his mind felt fatigued. He suspected that it was because he and Adeline's wedding anniversary had passed earlier that week, and Slade felt like taking a short break from everything.

It allowed Dick to catch up on his homework (that Slade deliberately kept from doing with extended training sessions) and to give him a break as well. There wasn't much of a schedule for that weekend except to catch up on everything that they had been working on the past few months.

It was clear that Brother Blood was planning to take over the HIVE Academy. Something about the Headmistress was either holding him back from rebellion, or he was biding his time. Perhaps he was hoping to get Robin on his side, as he surely suspected that Slade knew about his plan. It would be foolish of him not to anticipate it.

"Will, what have you discovered from the Headmistress?"

At first Slade had been unsure if Will would divulge information from his lover, or if he even could, but to his surprise Will did.

"She knows Robin is there to spy on the HIVE," Wintergreen said.

"And she'll okay with that?"

"She encouraged it," Wintergreen sitting down at the table. "She suspects that Brother Blood is up to something."

"Why did she hire him? Make him the Vice-Principal?" Slade pondered his own questions. It was helpful to think out loud, even if he didn't expect Wintergreen to respond. "She's wary of him. Can't defeat him outright without causing division within the HIVE. She wants to control all of the students, not just the majority."

"As does Blood," Wintergreen said.

"She has to work harder to get it."

With Robin at the HIVE, the school didn't know what to do. The smarter faculty knew that Robin would be a key player—though in what way, they didn't even know themselves. "Based on intel from Robin, Brother Blood may decide to act soon," Slade said. "It's not a question of if, but a question of when."

"What will you do when he does, sir?"

"Students who escape Blood's control won't know what to do. They'll follow the Headmistress, whatever she does." Slade furrowed his eyebrows. "I can't have her be out of power for too long. We have a long history together."

Even if he didn't get along with her all of the time, she was one of the closest things he had to an ally. Even if she didn't quite know his plan to make Robin his apprentice, she had helped him achieve that goal in the long run.

"When it happens, will you be able to get her safely away?" Slade asked Wintergreen.

"Only if she wants to."

It was likely that Blood would kill her the first chance he got, and probably kill Slade while he was at it as well. Robin would most likely be asked to join his army—and if he didn't want to, then Blood would put him under mind-control.

Wintergreen didn't say much. His relationship with the Headmistress was…odd…to say the least. It wasn't Slade's place to tell him what to do.

"It's a pity," Wintergreen said.

"What's a pity?"

"It seems like Dick's really enjoying the school."

"What makes you think that?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Wintergreen looked at him strangely. "He's been in a much better mood these days…when you don't force him to train after hours."

"What are you trying to get at?"

"Perhaps, at this time, he doesn't need a regimented schedule. He accepts your teachings when he's in a good mood."

"It's because he's around other kids," Slade said. "But they aren't going to be his friend. No matter what they say, no matter what they do together, they won't be friends. Not when they know that he was a Titan."

The real people he needed to connect with were people in Slade's industry, unconnected to the HIVE Academy. If there were any people he needed to keep in contact with, then it was the Headmistress, and perhaps a few other faculty members."

"Well, when this is all over, you know he's not going to be the same. He will miss them, no matter what you think."

Deep down, and, as always, Slade knew that Wintergreen was right.

"Anyway," Slade said. "I need you to help me with the arrangements. Robin will have to fight once Blood initiates his revolution, but he can't do anything against Blood's powers. At least not yet."

They stopped talking when Dick slunk into the room, watching them as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Oh, so you've finally finished that term paper?" Slade asked.

"Yes, _dad,"_ Dick said scathingly. "With plans to delete other students' papers from the school servers a minute before it's due. Gotta keep up the sabotage, you know."

As ridiculous as a lot of their curriculum was, Slade had to admit that it amused him to no end that the school forced Dick to act like a villain. Even if it was childishly villainous. Though Dick said nothing about his confrontation with Ms. Hyacinth, he knew all about it.

"So," Dick said, turning as he poured himself a glass of water, "have you given anymore thought to that Facebook fan page?"

"You know," Slade said, turning around to face Robin. "You can be rather _annoying."_

"Wouldn't be me if I didn't."

Despite Dick's snarking, something seemed off about him. Well, more off than usual. Best not to ask. Could be one of those weird teenage moods again. Teenagers, right?

"What have you found out about the thief?"

"Oh. Right." Dick opened the laptop lying on the coffee table and navigated to his profile page. It rather annoyed Slade that Dick kept mocking him for not knowing about social media. Call Slade old-fashioned, but he'd rather not get involved in social media. Advertising his services online wouldn't be the greatest idea. However, he had to admit that this certainly made it easier for tracking the younger generation of villains, stupid as they were for posting every single little thing online. "She's dating Stone, who attends the HIVE. I confirmed with him on Friday that she's agreed to go to the HIVE's Homecoming dance with him."

"I see."

Dick looked him straight in the face. There was no sense of amusement on it now, and seconds before he opened his mouth Slade knew what he was going to say. "I'll have to attend the Homecoming dance if we want to catch her."

Slade said nothing for a moment, his mind spinning as he processed this information. He got up from his chair and began to pace. "All of the faculty will be there as chaperones."

"And most of the student body. It'll be tricky."

"Indeed it will be. Will you be going with anyone?"

"Part of the deception."

Slade couldn't believe he was talking about this as casually as he would any other operation. Thankfully, Dick spoke in that same, oddly dispassionate vote that indicated that this was no joke, and how he too believed that this seemed ridiculous.

"Have you discovered any other whereabouts?"

"No. Stone's kinda private, and she has high security settings on her profile page. I have to be friends with her in real life first before I ask, or else she'll put me in friend request purgatory."

"I see." Slade gazed at the wall, trying to think. "Will the HIVE protect her?"

"Are you asking me or thinking out loud?"

"By now you've interacted with the HIVE more than I have. What is your opinion?"

Dick looked surprised that Slade was asking him for his honest opinion. Slade may know a lot about the HIVE's staff, however Dick knew how the school operated.

"Stone has a lot of friends. It's possible some of the students may think she's 'cool.'" Dick looked at her profile page, which he just pulled up. "Looks like a lot of them have already befriended her online."

"I put you in charge of this operation," Slade said. "Since you suggested it, why don't you plan it out?"

This was a relatively harmless operation Dick could mastermind. If he failed, then Slade could easily take over, and use it as an opportunity to teach him. Dick hesitated. "Sure. I'll do that."

"I'd appreciate it if you'd take the initiative and ask to plan it yourself," Slade said. "Have a plan by tomorrow morning, and we'll go over it before class."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

 **A/N: I don't plan on updating this fic until 2017, so while I'm away I'd like to hold a fanfic contest: create a hashtag for this sneaky Titan rescue plan that I'll use for upcoming chapters!**

 **Other Announcements:**

 **-** _ **Beta reading is open for my epic fantasy book-**_

 **Yup, if you want to read it I've been arranging for ways for you to do it. If you want to read some stuff send me a message so we can arrange for it. I'm in dire need of fresh readers! (Also you can read it before everyone else...as I plan to self-publish)  
**

 **Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review, and happy holidays! Thank you all who have followed me from the beginning of my time here at FF. I've learned so much from posting my writing here, and I appreciate you all!**


	16. Chapter 16: Got a Date!

**A/N: Hey all! Thanks for waiting! Updates will continue to be slow, but steady.**

 **Thank you to all who volunteered to beta reader my book! The comments have been especially helpful!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own these losers.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Got a Date!**

 **-Jinx-**

The HIVE bumbled with activity as the Homecoming dance approached. Things went on as usual—Professor Hyacinth sizzled some other student, someone's chemistry project exploded, several students were ejected from Blood's special seminar, all the usual.

Jinx, for her part, kept busy. When she wasn't helping Brother Blood as a TA, she worked on the special class project. It was kind of Brother Blood to allow her to continue working on the project, entrusting her to manage the students while he was away. It was nice to be trusted with anything at all. Ever since failing the Headmistress, she wasn't certain where she would go.

As the younger students swiveled by, part of her wished that she was still a student. Before her first failed mission, she felt on top of the world. She could do anything, and no older villain would scare her. Thrilling, to work for Slade!

"Jinx!"

She turned, recognizing the voice. Robin hurried up to her, his backpack flopping as he jogged. Jinx shifted the pile of papers in her arms.

"What do you want?" She demanded.

"Hey," Robin said. "Are you going to the Homecoming?"

"Yes," she said. Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"

"You want to come with me?"

Jinx paused. She blinked, so surprised she didn't know what to say. Though Robin asked in a quiet voice, it carried all the way across the room, as gossip tends to do. Students all around the room shut up as they looked towards them, as if they hadn't heard right.

"What?"

Robin coughed uneasily, and then rose his voice. "Would you like to go to the Homecoming Dance with me?"

Jinx looked around the room as the other students started snickering. In that moment, Robin didn't look like any kind of villain, or hero even. He looked like an ordinary kid. Her lips turned into a frown, and someone yelped as the floor trembled.

"Why?"

"What do you mean _why?_ " His sounded irritated. "You aren't going with anyone, are you?"

"If I am going with anyone, then why should it be _you?"_

"Because I'm the hottest topic in school."

Her frown deepened. Cheeky little—

"I'll think about it."

"All right…great." He made an odd face. "Let me know when you make a decision."

* * *

A chorus of laughter met her as she went back to the dormitory lounge. Everyone stood around the couches, laughing so hard they shook. Billy and his numerous clones huddled around a cell phone, watching a video. Seemore lounged on a couch, his one eye shut in hysterical laughter, next to Mammoth, who snorted through the tacos he was shoveling into his mouth.

"I caught the whole thing on FB live!" Billy said, trying to contain himself. "Ohhhhhh the lovebirds—"

She shoved her bag into Gizmo, who toppled under its weight.

"Shut up!" Jinx snapped. "Don't be stupid."

Part of her was flattered. He was certainly a better date than Plasmus, and some of the other jerks here, but yeah…a _Titan?_

"Fine!" Jinx's eyes glowed pink, causing the tv to crackle and snap. "I'm going with him!"

They stopped laughing.

"That's a joke, right?" Billy Numerous said, his smile dying.

"I don't know why you bozos are laughing, but this is an opportunity!"

No one said anything. They looked at one another, perhaps wondering if she crazy.

"Why?" Mammoth asked.

"Don't you see?" Jinx asked, throwing her hands to the side. "It's an opportunity to get back into Slade's good graces! He'll forgive us for failing to destroy the Titans!"

"So…" Seemore waved his hand. "I don't think Deathstroke cares about who's dating who."

A vein throbbed in Jinx's temple. "Ugh! Don't you get it?! It's not about dating anyone. It's about networking. Maybe Slade will ask us to work with him if Robin recommends us to him!"

Networking nuances were lost on them. Imbeciles. Disinterested now that Jinx was no longer embarrassed, they talked amongst themselves again.

Though embarrassed, she didn't think Robin was serious about a romantic relationship. He was together with the alien chick, right? Starlight, or whatever her name was. If Robin was asking a HIVE student out to Homecoming, then there was some other plot afoot, and she knew Robin well enough now to understand that he was always plotting.

 **-Robin-**

Laughter followed him throughout the rest of the day. He didn't mind, though. There were far worse things that could happen, like a murderous villain kidnapping you and holding you and your friends hostage. Oh, wait.

At the end of the school day, when everyone was done laughing at him, he found Jinx waiting for him in the parking lot in front of the school. She waited at the bottom of the stairs, her arms crossed over her chest and that frown still on her face.

"I've gotta go," Robin said, pointing to a black car pulling in front of the stairs, "my ride's here."

"I'll go with you," Jinx said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Seems all right."

"That's cool."

"You don't sound so excited."

"I am excited."

"Then show it."

"Show what?"

"Show me that you're excited. Make it Facebook official."

"Uhhh…." Robin fumbled for his communicator. "Sure?"

"You don't sound convincing."

Robin clicked the necessary buttons. "There. It's done."

Why was she doing this? Was it because she wanted him to know that she was in charge here?

Robin could have asked any number of his classmates to attend the dance with him, but there was something about Jinx he trusted. He had known her for a long time, even if she had attacked the Titans and were nearly thrown out of their home.

"Don't make me regret this."

"Oh, you won't!" Robin pulled open the car door and waved at her. "See you tomorrow!"

He hopped into the backseat, the elation of a plan going well coursing through him. Wintergreen looked at him through the mirror, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "I see you've had a productive day."

"You don't know the half of it."

As they drove back Jump City, Robin scrolled through his Facebook feed. Amid all the senseless online chatter—complaining about school, teachers, dumb heroes—he found what he was looking for. Cyborg posted pictures of Stone going on shopping shenanigans with Starfire.

Everything was on schedule. On point. Never in a million years would he have ever thought of a plan like this. It wasn't rational. Wasn't sensible. Once this was all over, Batman would surely berate him for such an obviously idiotic plan. For the first time in months his plan was working, however crazy it was.

Hey, it wasn't as if he were being forced into a date or anything.

Well, he was going to milk this for all it was worth.

 **-Brother Blood-**

Staff meetings were so tedious. Once he was Headmaster these meetings would be eliminated. He had more important things to do than discuss the curriculum.

After classes were over the teachers converged in a large staff room. Blood sat in his chair, weighed down by complete and utter boredom. He picked at his ears, wondering if he should take the time to wash out the earwax before his night class.

"There's been an unusual turn of events," the Headmistress said. "Robin will attend the Homecoming dance."

Other teachers who were pouring themselves coffee looked up, their cups overflowing.

"Slade will allow this?" the chemistry prof asked, his wide pale eyes gazing at them all. "He must be up to something, using the boy to infiltrate us."

"Or it could be harmless," Mr. Sanderson said, shrugging his broad shoulders. "We still haven't confirmed this with Slade himself."

"Have we learned anything about what Slade is up to?" another professor asked. He turned to Blood. "Brother?"

"It's a delicate situation," Blood said, folding his hands together. "The boy is trapped. He cannot speak to us about the nanobots. I've been unable to have him retrieve anything of value. We must wait until a more opportune time."

Idiots. They weren't thinking, like most idiots. Keep on babbling about Slade, but the real trouble was right in front of their faces. Just because Robin was under Slade's control didn't mean that he wasn't actively trying to undermine both the HIVE and Slade.

What they should really be talking about was why Robin invited _Jinx_ to the Homecoming dance. They may think it was nothing to worry about, but it was important to be nosy. Students—like the teachers—had their secrets.

And what delicious secrets they were.


	17. Chapter 17 Part 1: The Headmistress

**A/N: Long time no see. I know. Grown up with adult responsibilities blah blah blah. More updates after the update that really matters.**

 **Decided to post this chapter in parts since I'm being an absolute sloth. This is a complex chapter, and I want to be sure you know I'm still updating after six-seven months!**

* * *

 **Chapter 17, Part 1**

 **The Headmistress**

* * *

 **-SW-**

Being a villain in this day and age meant that Slade experienced many strange, oddly bizarre things he never thought he'd experience. While building his empire—the robot army, stealing the computer chips, arranging for an apprentice—he never thought he'd deal with the mundane. Things he thought he'd left behind after leaving Adeline and the kids.

If he ever believe he'd be in such a bizarre situation regarding a Homecoming Dance, he imagined it with his own children. Not Robin. Not his apprentice. Not the kid who was to be his successor to the Deathstroke name. And yet, as with most things in life, this snuck up on him in the most impossible of ways.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Robin," Slade said nonchalantly.

"I'll be going to the dance with Jinx," Robin said.

He said this so abruptly, so nonchalantly, that Slade almost didn't expect it. They had talked about this, certainly, but seeing Robin's plan in action felt rather bizarre. As if Slade didn't quite believe in Robin's action plan. As if he didn't trust in his own apprentice.

"Oh?" Slade tried to hide his surprise. "So she said yes?"

Interesting choice. Hard to reconcile what Slade knew of Jinx. Seemed like she trusted Robin enough, or forgave him from defeating her. Either that, or Robin was good at talking to women. A trait Slade wished he could be better at.

"Oh really?" Slade wished he wasn't wearing his mask, though he suspected Robin could understand his tone. "I thought you didn't like her."

"Does it matter if I do?" Robin shook his head, as though Slade was the one who didn't understand women. "I'm the coolest guy around, don't you know?"

Whatever. At least Slade know who Jinx was. He knew all about her, and how she connived to get on Slade's good side through Robin. It was possible Robin was young enough not to understand how women could break his heart.

"Tell me your plan."

Robin took a deep breath. "Jinx will give me an in to the Homecoming Dance. I've been monitoring the thief Stone's profile page—she's been rather prolific on social media."

That much Slade could figure out on his own. True to his word, he had been monitoring Dick's Facebook feed. Not that there was much worth watching, what with the crap filling most of the feed.

"We'll ambush her at Homecoming," Robin said.

"And Jinx?"

Robin's expression did not change much. But it changed enough. His mouth twitched, one of his few features that could not be hidden by his mask. "What about her?"

"What will she think? Turning on Stone's girlfriend?"

"She wants to be on your good side. High school popularity doesn't matter much to her."

"But…?"

There was more to her. There always was to anyone. Slade wanted Robin to see-wanted him to understand. To comprehend, to be able to deconstruct people at a whim. When else would he be able to teach Robin how to do such a thing?

Robin hesitated.

"You know you aren't really her friend," Slade said casually. "Doesn't matter if you're working with me or the Titans. You'd relay the information anyway."

"She feels her powers are bad luck." Robin said this quickly, looking away from Slade as he said this.

"If she interferes with our plan in any way you are to use that against her. Do you understand?"

"Why do you think I asked _her?"_

Hmm. Perhaps Robin was learning something after all.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Slade has no idea how to tailor his FB news feed preferences lol.**

 **I have a couple of announcements!**

 **First: I'm preparing a dark fantasy short story for a horror anthology aiming to be published online in October! That's primarily why I've been off fanfic so much, alongside hardcore work on two novels! Thanks again for everyone who has joined Scribophile for inline critiquing of those manuscripts!**

 **As a side: I've been asking around tumblr if anyone would be interested in a temporary open beta reading period for my historical YA novel (with a Lemony Snicket-like narrator) on Fiction Press. I have lots of beta readers for the fantasy book, but not as many people for the YA novel. Contrary to what you may think, the YA novel is much, much closer to any TT apprentice fanfic I've written! Lots of psychological manipulation :)**

 **And as always: review!**


	18. Chapter 17 Part 2: The Mastermind

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.**

 **A/N: Hey all! Thanks for waiting. Updating schedule and other announcements after the chapter. :)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 17, Part 2: The Mastermind**

* * *

"Victor? Are you the ok?"

Starfire looked at Cyborg through her wide, bubble-shaped sunglasses. They sat on the outside plaza of his favorite pizza place. The last time they were here she had tried to put the most ridiculous things on their pizza.

She wasn't dressed as Starfire, but rather as the thief Slade was on the hunt for. Stone's mysterious girlfriend. Her fiery hair was tucked underneath a wide floppy hat, and she wore short shorts and a band shirt. Cyborg, still in his holographic disguise, saw Mammoth staring at him over the top of a menu the next table over. Man, they weren't being very sneaky.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cyborg replied. Although they were surrounded by half of the student body who had nothing better to do than to stalk him, it was nice to be out and about without people staring at him. "The student council is about the announce the Homecoming theme. I'll forward you the info."

They had to meet in person. The other students were getting too close to him, and Cyborg couldn't risk opening his Titans communicator. Now that midterms were over everyone felt a bit more relaxed, and spent most of their time messing around.

"How is…" Star lowered her voice. "Robin?"

"Fine. He's…" Cyborg scanned the surrounding area quickly with his infrared eye. "He's gathering intel on the HIVE for Slade. That might be why Slade wanted an _apprentice."_

"So what will happen when Slade discovers what he wants?"

"I dunno."

That wasn't something Cyborg had considered. Was this sneaking around the HIVE the only reason why Slade would want an apprentice? One young enough to be enrolled in the HIVE? Would Slade get rid of Robin and the Titans when this was all over?

Their pizza arrived. The biggest size they had, with all of the toppings they could hope for. Star's side had all of the weird toppings, but at least this time they weren't too weird. Star was the only one who could match Cyborg in gluttony. How many stomachs did Tamaraneans have again?

"We need to talk about Blood," Cyborg said. "He wants me to help with the nanobots. Help Robin get away from Slade, though probably to join him."

"If Brother Blood can remove the nanobots, then we will be able to escape."

They fell silent again. This wasn't the place to discuss this.

"Just don't touch that xinothium," Cyborg muttered in between bites. "It's dangerous."

Starfire's eyes glittered dangerously. "You believe I am foolish enough to touch it?"

Sometimes it was easy to forget that she was just as smart as he was. Probably even smarter. Maybe it was time to get back to the Titans soon. If he was forgetting this, then he really needed to go back.

They ate mostly in silence, which wasn't how this meeting was supposed to go. This was supposed to be a date, after all.

Starfire opened her purse and began to pull out some money, but Cyborg put a hand on her arm. "Remember: we gotta be bad."

She grinned. "All the bad!"

* * *

Robin wondered what it would be like to be a boarding student here. Probably a lot more fun than being a day student. At least here there were people to hang out with. Must be nice.

Wintergreen wasn't due to pick him up for another hour or so. Something to do with one of Slade's contracts. Was he the getaway driver? Who knew.

With so much time on his hands, Robin wandered through the Academy. With such a tightly-coordinated scheduled he wasn't able to spend much time in the dormitories, or the other facilities available to boarding students. Robin made his way towards the gym.

If he was going to bust out of here at Homecoming, then he needed to ensure that the nanobots wouldn't be activated and kill the Titans. And there was, of course, the issue of Blood knowing about Cyborg. Everyday their plan fell apart just a little more. Surely, if there was ever a time for the Titans to act, then it would be during the dance, wouldn't it? That's what Robin would think if he were in Blood's position.

"You."

Smoke trailed out of her ears as Professor Hyacinth spotted him. She stepped out of the gymnasium, sweat plastering her dark hair to her forehead. No longer dressed in her day clothes, but as if she had just come back from a run. Her slim sweatpants and jacket were emblazoned with the HIVE honeycomb logo. How stylish. Maybe he should invest in one of those. He'd rather wear that than Slade's uniform.

"Yes, it's me." Robin raised his hands. "How observant."

"Don't you take that tone with me."

"You're not the boss."

Hmm. Maybe it wouldn't be so fun to live on campus, after all. Seeing one bad teacher was annoying enough—it'd be a real downer to run into multiple teachers every day.

"Hey, now." Robin cocked his head. "There's only person allowed to hit me."

"Seems like he hits you a lot. I can see why."

Despite himself, Robin bristled. "You won't admit that I beat you."

"Not in a fair fight."

"There aren't any of those around here."

"You attacked me during class."

"Boo. Hoo." Robin didn't dare turn his back on her, but he kept his eyes on her. He felt a little impish today. "Besides, it's not like you matter anyway. I've never even heard of you until I came here. Never saw you once in Batman's rogue gallery."

The blow came with a burst of flames. Robin ducked to the side. What was he going to do? Where could he go?

Robin launched himself towards the walls, avoiding another blast of flames as he bounced off the wall and back towards Hyacinth. She tensed into a fighting stance beneath him, her dark growing wide as he allowed gravity to take hold.

She leapt out of the way just as he swung his fist at her head. Pain jolted up his arm as his fist met the floor.

It happened so quickly he wasn't even aware of what he was doing. It was so easy to forget that this was a school, and that he wasn't fighting for his life every time he turned a corner.

That was a killing blow.

If Professor Hyacinth hadn't been a metahuman, hadn't had the reflexes born of years of training, then she would have been dead.

Robin stood still, his arms trembling. How had that happened? Why?

A swirl of purple-robed figures swooped down on him, and a burst of heat ignited in front of his face. He flung up his arms to protect himself from the flames. This time she didn't mean to intimidate him.

That was meant to kill, and he hadn't even realized it.

"Don't think you're anything special," Hyacinth said, grabbing his wrist. A searing pain raced up his arm as her skin sizzled, leaving a burn as she let go. "You'll get more than a detention, Robin."

* * *

The HIVE guards tossed Robin onto the floor in front of the Headmistress's desk. His head just barely missed being smashed against it. Bits of paper flew off and onto the floor, and his left hand smudged the ink of a recently signed letterhead. Even in his ever-increasing anxiety he found it oddly hilarious that the Headmistress was writing thank you letters to anonymous donors who gave their stolen money to the school.

Robin gazed briefly at his reflection in the well-polished mahogany desk before looking up at the Headmistress. She stood behind her desk and looked out of a window, which looked down onto the main courtyard. Even when she was in her office she could watch the students during their breaks. Like always she dressed in her crisp uniform that made her look like a top executive of some multi-billion-dollar business. For all Robin knew, she could have been on Wayne Enterprises' Board of Directors.

"Leave us," she said, still not turning around.

The guards drifted out of the room. She didn't move until the door closed behind him.

"You attacked one of my staff outside of class, Richard," she said, turning around. "That will not go unpunished."

Robin bristled. Once he was out of here, and Slade was in jail, then he would go after the Headmistress next. His wrist burned, and he knew that the Headmistress could see it. Professor Hyacinth had burned through the sleeve of his uniform. His burn stung in the air-conditioned room, but he didn't bring attention to it. That would be a sign of weakness.

"So? I attacked Professor Hyacinth."

"Not in this manner. Brother Blood—and the rest of the faculty—expected backhandedness.

"So what are you going to do?"

She walked around the desk and approached him. He could fight her, right here, right now, but he didn't know her fighting style. She looked older, but she may have powers that he didn't know about.

"Regular detention won't do for you, oh no. You're too _proud_ for menial labor."

Robin didn't quite know if anything she could pull off would be worse than being punished by Slade.

"You're going to fail," Robin said quietly.

"What?"

"I said," Robin replied, speaking louder. "That you're going to fail."

"Please, boy, educate me."

"These kids…they'll never be loyal to you."

"We teach them how to control their powers. Some of them have nowhere else to go."

"You may have a deluded sense of right and wrong, but you're not stupid."

Apprehension roiled in the pit of his stomach. She was just _standing_ there talking down to him. She may be old, but he couldn't attack her, not yet, not now, not when he knew next to nothing about her.

 _She and Slade would make a great couple,_ Robin thought bitterly. _Too bad Wintergreen's already on it._

And yet, as he stood there, waiting in anticipation for the repercussion, he wondered just how easy it would be to shut down the school. She had no power here if the students rebelled. They had the capability to do so, unless there was some other way that the faculty controlled the students. It was possible that someone had powers that brainwashed people.

"They have no choice," the Headmistress said. "It is simply within their nature, just as it is in yours."

 _"They're not evil!"_ Robin yelled. _"You made them believe they are!"_ Robin never expected those words to come out of his mouth. "They aren't your pawns."

"And I suppose you're an expert on the subject?"

"It's because you're afraid," Robin said. "You're afraid of what will happen if they chose to be heroes. I'll take down the HIVE Academy if it's the last thing I do."

The Headmistress stood quite still, her face set in anger.

"Your outburst is worth more than a few weeks of detention," the Headmistress said, her voice tight. "You will be suspended for a week for your disobedience in addition to serving detention. You will regret ever having attacked one of my staff."

"You think I'm scared of suspension?" Robin laughed. "I hate this place."

"I don't think you do." The Headmistress grinned wryly. "But I'm certain you won't want to go back to where you were before?"

Slade's wrath was worse than anything the HIVE Academy could throw at him. His task had been simple: spy on the faculty and see if anyone was plotting against Slade. Don't make trouble. Well, he had failed quite spectacularly at that.

Robin looked around the office. Everything was off. The plan, the dance, everything. Slade never intended him to be here long, just long enough to gather intel. He had been upfront about that, sure, but it didn't really hit Robin until now.

"Honestly," Robin said, stepping back towards the door, "I don't know what'll happen next."

Robin turn and stumbled through the unlocked door. Students and faculty alike had gathered around the door, listening to every word of the conversation. Robin stumbled into the hallway, stopping in front of the students. All of them stared at him.

"Did you really mean that?" Jinx asked. "About us?"

Robin didn't look at her. He never thought ever, since he had let Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo knock him around during their first encounter, that he would defend them. They were villains in a school designed to make them criminal masterminds, but that didn't mean that they deserved punishment. They had to know, had to see that people would stick up for them. No one was sticking up for him, and maybe they felt the same way. Even surrounded by friends, they were still watched by the silent HIVE guards.

"Why?" Robin's voice sounded sharper than he intended.

Jinx opened her mouth, as if to retort, but then paused, staring at something behind Robin's shoulder. Robin turned to see the crowd backing away to allow another figure to walk through.

Slade sauntered through the crowd. Tensing, not daring to back away, Robin stood his ground, dreading the moment Slade arrived. Sweat ran down the back of his neck. Several people snickered.

Slade stopped in front of Robin. They stared at one another, the tension palpable and rising, roiling in the enclosed space. Teachers and faculty, including the Headmistress, crowded into the hallway. Something in the room changed, a sudden sense of unease fluttered through the student onlookers. Everything up until this point was just pretend, just training for the real world, but still pretend. There were hardened criminals among them, to be sure. It was as if no one could concentrate on anything but them, two larger-than-life figures.

He was one of them now.

The backhand came with crushing force. Robin stumbled backwards, but didn't raise his fists.

Slade expected him to fight back, but Robin wasn't going to. He shut his eyes tightly, willing himself not to strike back. There were too many people around. Someone would get hurt. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Stone's eye twitch. Robin gave him the slightest shake of his head. Even if he got in trouble, he couldn't let Cyborg blow his cover.

"Fight back!" Robin heard genuine frustration in Slade's voice. "Get off the floor!"

He rolled over on his back and saw Jinx staring down at him. This passive approach would get him in more trouble than a brawl. Embarrassing, for the apprentice of criminal mastermind, a mercenary who prided himself on his fighting skills, to lie there. Slade grabbed Robin's arm and pulled him right into his knee. Robin's heart seemed to skip a beat as the air was knocked out of him.

"Leave him alone!"

Everyone's heads turned. Robin peered at the speaker blearily through his dazed vision. Jinx had spoken. She looked surprised that she dared to speak out.

Every head turned to Slade. He stood quite still, looking at Jinx as though he had never seen anything like her before. He straightened, still keeping a tight grip on Robin's arm, and she stepped backwards, as though afraid that he would hit her too.

"It's Jinx, isn't it?"

She nodded mutely, her eyes wide.

"It's no use defending him, Jinx. After all, even if you tried, you only bring bad luck."

Robin's stomach dropped. She looked as if Slade had slapped her in the face. Everyone shifted their attention from Robin to Jinx. At first, she stared at Slade, but then turned her attention back to Robin.

It was happening all over again—this cycle of trust and betrayal he couldn't move away from. Jinx had nothing to do with this.

"Detention, Miss Jinx," the Headmistress breathed. "We will speak privately when this is all over. Mr. Slade, I believe a suspension is in order."

"Agreed, Headmistress." Slade jerked Robin as he tried to move. "So sorry for the disruption."

In that moment, the students appeared several years younger than they actually were. They quivered in their shoes as Slade dragged Robin away. If this could happen to Robin, then it could happen to them.

* * *

 **A/N:Thanks for being so patient with the updates! I've been working hard on an upcoming horror anthology, which will be released on Friday the 13 (see what we did there?), and that took up most of my summer. I'm not quite sure when the next update will be, but I'll be sure to announce a release date when I'm ready with the next one.  
**

 **Thanks for reading, and be sure to leave a review!**


	19. Chapter 18: The Room Where it Happens

**A/N: Sorry for the delay.**

 **Did I happen to be spending my time getting a new job that had the incredible work perk of seeing Hamilton live? Yes. Is that why I haven't been updating this fanfic? Yes, and also I had a grand time being evacuated due to some nasty wildfires. Was Hamilton at the Pantages amazing? YES.**

* * *

Chapter 17: Part 3: The Room Where it Happens

Slade drove recklessly back to the Haunt, and with every red light he flew by Robin wished he could open the car door and throw himself into traffic. He said nothing, though he knew a lecture was inevitable, as well as another fight. He didn't want to start a fight in the car—he preferred the Haunt's main room. Nice and spacious for another beatdown.

The mercenary's gloved fingers tapped the steering wheel impatiently, which increased as Robin held on to the car's grab handle.

This was a different kind of mad. Slade was on his second wind after raging at school, and throughout the whole car ride he was warming up to another round of pummel-the-robin. It was this waiting, more than anything, that increased Robin's anxiety.

When they arrived Slade yanked him out, and Robin nearly hit his head on the car roof as he stumbled out. Sladebots looked up as they entered the Haunt, as though curious. The way their heads moved in unison creeped Robin out, like they knew he was in trouble.

"How dare you," Slade said, shutting the door quietly behind him. "Forcing me to go to the school, attacking a teacher, inciting the other students—"

"Wasn't intentional."

"And Jinx standing up to me. Of all the nerve—"

Hey now!

"Why did you say that?" Robin asked. "She didn't do anything wrong."

Jinx wasn't the one who beat down a teacher. Jinx wasn't the one who caused trouble. All she had done was speak out against Slade. Robin hoped she wouldn't be punished for that.

"That doesn't matter," Slade replied. "She talked back to me. How dare she, after her failure to complete a _simple assignment."_

"But—"

"But what?" Slade demanded. "You're not there to make friends. What does it matter what she thinks?"

Robin swallowed. "Because it matters to our mission."

"She has no real talent," Slade said. "By defending you she acknowledged weakness."

"Is that really what you think?"

"You're there to spy for me!" Slade snapped. "That's all you're there for and nothing more! Did you really think that I'd send you there to have _fun?_ To make _friends?"_

Silence fell between them as Robin struggled to find words. Haltingly he spoke, afraid of his own reply. "Part of me hoped you would."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Because of you I didn't have friends anymore, but had a chance to make new ones."

When would Slade understand? Robin thought that, on some level, Slade understood that he might be able to _trick_ Robin into staying if he truly enrolled Robin at the HIVE. Robin didn't want to think that way, but now that he stood here, withstanding the wrath of Hurricane Deathstroke, he realized it was true.

"That's your mistake then, isn't it?" Slade sneered. "The Headmistress suspended you because _my_ wrath is more than enough." Slade snorted. "But don't think that she won't punish you when you return next week. By now you'll have _no friends_ anywhere."

"Well, then we'll have something in common."

"I'd rather not do this," Slade said, shaking his head. "But you deliberately put my profession at risk. The faculty think I can't control you—"

"That's because you _can't._ "

" _Don't interrupt me."_

"You told me to defend myself."

"You didn't defend yourself. You provoked the Headmistress."

"But—"

Slade slapped him, grabbed his collar and dragged him forward. "I said: don't interrupt me. "I should punish the Titans—" Slade shook him as Robin opened his mouth. "But I won't. This is a problem of my own doing."

No, it wasn't that Slade didn't understand. Slade _knew_ that Robin would try to reach out to people. He knew he would try to make friends and get people on his side. And he let Robin play it out until it rebounded and kicked him in the butt.

A deep, rumbling laugh escaped Slade. "I forget you're still a child. You wanted to attend the HIVE Academy, you prefer it. I should've predicted this."

Even considering all of the stupid classes and pointless assignments, his time at the HIVE made his life here the closest it had ever been to normal. And to think of dropping out, of going back to training with Slade every single day, was inconceivable.

"You've become attached to them. You think they're your friends."

"Slade, please, don't," Robin said, finally breaking down. "Please, let me stay there, let me make things right—"

"Your performance has been less than impressive," Slade replied. "If you really wanted them to be your friends, then you'd stop being a hero. Unless you do that you can't be their friend. Jinx won't be your friend next Monday morning. If you had been so noble as you think you are, then you wouldn't have betrayed her trust by telling me her secrets."

So many thoughts rushed to Robin's mind. If it wasn't for Slade, then she would be on Robin's side entirely. And a part of him reminded him just how silly this all was. How, just mere months ago, he would have never thought he would be the apprentice of a madman, let alone a student at the HIVE.

And yet, how dare Slade say this. How dare he turn the situation against him, and blame him for exposing Jinx's secret to the student body.

"Why should I let you stay?" Slade demanded.

"Brother Blood has a class project!" Robin gasped. "No one knows what it is, even though several people are working on it!"

Slade considered him. "When did you find this out?"

"Yesterday."

Robin's mind raced. This was what Slade wanted to know, what he and Cyborg were trying to hide from Slade. And speaking of Cyborg, it was a miracle that Slade had not yet discovered Stone's identity.

"Your actions are inexcusable, but we still have our mission." Slade turned to him. "After we capture the Xinothium thief we will pull out of the HIVE. The situation is becoming unstable, and I don't trust Blood."

"Do you…do you mean we're still going through with Homecoming?"

"You have any other bright ideas?" Slade's sardonic tone didn't make Robin feel any better. "Seeing as you don't behave when I'm not around, I thought I'd volunteer as a chaperone."

Amidst the dull, thumping pain in his body and his muddled emotions, Robin just stared. A mental imagine of Slade wearing a tux, but still wearing his mask, popped into his mind, and he wanted to laugh.

"What?"

"When you return feel free to _fix_ things to your heart's desire. If you can."

In that moment Robin realized that, even if he made friends elsewhere, Slade would inject himself into the equation. There wouldn't be any friends anywhere, with anyone, so he should just get used to it.

"In the meantime," Slade said, "you're suspended, which gives us plenty of time to chat about your attitude."

 **-Cyborg-**

"I wonder when that turd muffin is coming back," Gizmo said, bending his spoon back as he looked for a victim.

Mashed potatoes made for good ammo. Stone ate his, no longer worried if Gizmo had hidden any bombs in his food. He hadn't slept well since Robin had disappeared, and he couldn't ask around without raising suspicion to himself. Robin spent a lot of effort diverting Slade's attention away from him. That would only last for so long.

"Are you talking about Robin?" Stone asked.

"Who else is suspended, nitwit?" Gizmo demanded, standing up on his chair. "Gosh, you're so stupid sometimes it's a wonder you're in Blood's advanced class."

"Why are you interested?" Stone glanced over at Jinx, who didn't say anything.

"Turd's the most interesting thing that's happened around here in years," Gizmo replied, finally finding his victim. Simon cried out as mashed potato covered his one eye. "Also, can't wait to give him crap."

He had his communicator out and kept refreshing his Facebook feed. There was nothing, no updates from Robin, no private messages, zilch. People were posting on his wall an awful lot, though, and tagging him in unflattering pictures and memes.

Stone leaned over to Jinx. "You ok?"

"You've been asking me that all week," Jinx replied in a low voice, glaring at him. "Why?"

"Well, you haven't been yourself."

"He wasn't my friend!" Jinx snapped, pointing a finger in Stone's face. "So quit asking!"

"Ok, ok!" Stone held up his hands. "You got it."

Cyborg couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. Should've been clear that Robin was collecting information on the students and relaying the info to Slade, but man, to be called out like that in front of _everyone_ must feel crappy.

A sudden hush fell over the cafeteria as the double doors opened. Instead of his apprentice uniform he wore civilian clothes—jeans and a black sweatshirt. He still wore his mask, but he had no armor to defend himself. HIVE Academy guards, in their sweeping purple robes, followed him.

No one hounded him, and he couldn't tell why. Were they afraid of Slade, did they feel sorry for him, or what? Why was he back now? And why so late in the day? In silence the entire cafeteria watched as he made his way through the lunch line and quietly thanked the lunch lady.

Anyone in the nurse's office could have healed him in an instant, but no one bothered to open the door for him when he knocked. Now that he was so close Cyborg could see the injuries. He scanned Robin. Heavily bruised. He favored his left leg. One of his eyes was swollen from a black eye that would become visible by the end of the day.

At any other high school, a _real_ school, the faculty and administration would be required to report Slade to the authorities. But the people here reveled in misery and chaos. Enough was enough!

"Jinx." Robin's voice sounded raspy, as if he either hadn't used it all day, or as if he had screamed until his throat couldn't take it anymore. "Please, let me explain—"

Students scattered as their table upended itself. Several strands of pink light flashed towards him, causing him to stumble and fall. Before he made it to the floor Jinx threw her hand out and screamed as she knocked him backwards into the wall. Robin grunted, and as he moved Cyborg realized that he more hurt than he initially thought.

" _How could you?"_ she shouted. "How could tell him?"

"Do you think I wanted to?" His voice was quiet.

The room shook as her eyes flared pink again. Several of the hooded figures began to circle around her, like vultures, waiting for her to cross that fine line between anarchy and controlled chaos. The rest of the tables and chairs rose into the air, tilting towards Robin.

"I had no choice," he said. "You know that."

In all the time Cyborg had known him, this version of Robin felt more authentic than anything else. This was the real Robin. Not Slade's apprentice. Not a student of the HIVE Academy. Not the kid who passed Brother Blood's horrendous midterm and terrorized Professor Hyacinth. Just a very, very tired kid.

Jinx dashed from the room, and from this angle Cyborg couldn't tell if those were angry tears in her eyes.

The lunch ladies glared at the students, their arms crossed and ladles in gloved hands. Mashed potatoes and gravy splattered the counter, the floor, and the walls, even the purple banners hanging from the ceiling. Robin walked over to the counter, took the mop handed to him by a lunch lady, and began to clean up the mess.

Should he help?

A few students lingered, as though they thought the same, but eventually disappeared back into the hallway. At this rate Robin wouldn't be finished in time for next period. Would Stone, big bad boy high school student Stone, help out a do-gooder?

Stone stuck his hands in his pockets as he sauntered over to Robin. The bell rang, though neither of them went back to class. Why wasn't Robin moving? Would he get in trouble? No, those were Cyborg's worries. Not Stone's.

Stone placed a boot on an upturned table, perfectly aware that there were security cameras looking at the two of them. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.

"Ya know, I thought you were pretty cool, being Slade's apprentice and all," Stone said. "But I guess not."

Stone pushed the table over Robin's pile, making the kid jump. Robin's eyes narrowed. Aha. There we go.

"Enough, Stone!" a lunch lady roared. "Get back to class!"

"Sure thing."

Stone kicked the table towards Robin, making him stumble. He grabbed a handful of sweatshirt and pulled him close.

"Is our plan still on?" Cyborg asked in a low voice?

This was _so_ dangerous. They didn't have enough time—could they even keep up until Homecoming? There was only a week left.

"It's not going to be enough," Robin whispered. "Jinx hates me now, and Slade's attending the dance as a chaperone."

 _"What?"_

"And," Robin said, his voice becoming a little stronger now, "Wintergreen is dating the Headmistress. I have an idea."

Whatever Blood was planning to do, he'd either speed up his schedule or delay it. Robin and Cyborg exchanged glances. Just as Cyborg knew exactly what to do when they did their dynamic _sonic boom,_ so he knew exactly what Robin had in mind.

"Oh man," Cyborg muttered, "you're crazy. Don't mess with the Headmistress."

"Crazy is the only thing that matters now." Robin struggled against Stone's grip as the lunch ladies approached them. "New plan: You keep Blood distracted. I deal with Slade and the nanobots."

"We're winging it?"

"You bet."

Stone shoved Robin onto the floor and into the mashed potatoes. He laughed as he barreled past the lunch ladies, who hissed at him for making a bigger mess. If Brother Blood, Slade and the Headmistress were going to be at Homecoming then there was only one thing to do.

Create chaos.

* * *

 **A/N: Uh oh. Slade wants to be in the room where it happens!**

 **Not sure when my next update will be, but thought I'd let you know that a horror short story of mine was published in anthology called _Whispers in the Shadows_ since the previous update, if anyone is interested in checking that out. That, in conjunction with a new job, has slowed down updates. **

**As always leave a review!**


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